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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. swing — music
  3. staff — employees
  4. fine — high quality
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. fine — all right
  7. swing — in golf
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. staff — employees
  12. swing — to play on
  13. chest — a box
  14. lean — thin
  15. can — a tin
  16. chest — of your body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. staff — a stick
  21. can — a tin
  22. date — the fruit
  23. chest — of your body
  24. can — to be able to

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