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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. club — for dancing
  5. club — a group
  6. march — the month
  7. cold — an illness
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — a break
  10. staff — a stick
  11. club — for golf
  12. chip — to eat
  13. march — music
  14. staff — employees
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — thin
  17. cold — not warm
  18. march — the month
  19. chip — for betting
  20. rest — what's left
  21. staff — employees
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rush — hurry

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