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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. lean — thin
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. object — an aim
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. object — a thing
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. lean — to bend
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — a container
  21. object — to protest
  22. tube — the underground
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. mine — belonging to me

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