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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. chair — a leader
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. race — a contest
  5. rock — music
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. shower — to wash
  8. race — the arms race
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. lean — thin
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. race — humankind
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. rock — a stone
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. perch — the fish
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. shower — rain

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