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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. board — to get on
  3. court — of law
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. tear — from crying
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. key — the most important part
  9. lean — thin
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. tear — from crying
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. lean — to bend
  14. court — for sport
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. court — of a king
  17. board — a committee
  18. charge — in control
  19. charge — electricity
  20. key — for a lock
  21. charge — a price
  22. key — in music
  23. tear — to rip
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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