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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. rest — a break
  5. tear — to rip
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. pop — music
  8. rest — what's left
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rest — what's left
  11. pass — a permit
  12. lean — thin
  13. mate — a partner
  14. snap — to click
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. tear — from crying
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. lean — to bend
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — to visit
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mate — a friend

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