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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lean — thin
  4. fork — in a road
  5. lean — to bend
  6. chest — a box
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. chest — of your body
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. kick — in football
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. plane — a tool
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. chest — of your body
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. wake — a trail
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — music
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. pop — soda

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