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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. game — a match
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — rain
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. wind — moving air
  8. scale — in music
  9. game — wild animals
  10. scale — size or range
  11. bass — low music
  12. lean — to bend
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. object — to protest
  15. shower — to wash
  16. object — an aim
  17. charge — a price
  18. charge — electricity
  19. wind — moving air
  20. object — a thing
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. charge — in control
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bass — the instrument

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