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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. hand — help
  5. lean — thin
  6. fall — to drop
  7. march — music
  8. lean — to bend
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. fall — to drop
  11. snap — to click
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — certain
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. hand — in cards
  18. march — the month
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bound — tied together
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. fall — the season
  24. march — the month

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