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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. lean — thin
  3. fall — the season
  4. board — a committee
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. court — for sport
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. court — of law
  9. content — the amount
  10. court — of a king
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. last — finally
  13. board — to get on
  14. fall — to drop
  15. rock — a stone
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — final
  19. fall — to drop
  20. lean — to bend
  21. rock — music
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — clever
  24. content — happy

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