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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. sharp — clever
  4. pop — to visit
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. prune — to trim
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. pop — soda
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. lean — thin
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. field — a subject
  15. prune — to trim
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. field — farmland
  19. lean — to bend
  20. rush — hurry
  21. field — for sport
  22. pop — music
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. straw — dry grass

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com