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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 120 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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  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. chip — for betting
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. bear — the animal
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bear — the animal
  9. spring — the season
  10. chip — to eat
  11. spring — of water
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. spring — a coil
  17. pit — in a race
  18. kid — child
  19. lean — thin
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pit — a hole
  22. kid — to tease
  23. lean — to bend
  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