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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. fine — all right
  3. lean — to bend
  4. fine — high quality
  5. staff — a stick
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. tube — the underground
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. snap — to click
  11. tube — a container
  12. swing — in golf
  13. swing — music
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. lean — thin
  20. swing — to play on
  21. fork — in a road
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — employees
  24. lean — to rest against

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