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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. pitch — completely
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. face — to point toward
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. club — for dancing
  11. face — to confront
  12. club — a group
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. lean — thin
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — for digging
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — a leader
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. club — for golf
  22. face — part of the head
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. lean — to bend

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