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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 116 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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. field — for sport
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. field — farmland
  9. lean — to bend
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. field — a subject
  12. snap — to click
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. dip — to sink
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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