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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. can — to be able to
  3. pop — music
  4. cold — not warm
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. cold — an illness
  7. chest — a box
  8. charge — a price
  9. chest — of your body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. can — a tin
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. pop — soda
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. pop — to visit
  21. can — a tin
  22. lean — thin
  23. charge — electricity
  24. charge — in control

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