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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. shower — rain
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — thin
  5. track — a song
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. track — to keep track
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — a break
  10. rash — a series
  11. ground — a position
  12. sharp — clever
  13. track — a path
  14. shower — to wash
  15. ground — crushed
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. fine — high quality
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rest — what's left
  21. ground — the earth
  22. fine — all right
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. rash — hasty

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