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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. march — the month
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. game — a match
  5. last — final
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. march — the month
  8. lean — thin
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — what's left
  14. saw — the tool
  15. game — wild animals
  16. march — music
  17. dip — to sink
  18. last — to go on
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. lean — to bend
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. last — finally
  24. rest — a break

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