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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. lean — to bend
  3. roll — a cake
  4. roll — a list
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. rash — a series
  7. lean — thin
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. court — of law
  16. dip — to sink
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. snap — to click
  19. rash — hasty
  20. court — for sport
  21. date — the fruit
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. court — of a king
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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