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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. present — a gift
  3. lean — thin
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. can — a tin
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. scale — size or range
  11. pit — in a race
  12. can — a tin
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. lean — to bend
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. can — to be able to
  20. pit — a hole
  21. lie — to recline
  22. present — the time now
  23. present — there
  24. lie — an untruth

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