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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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. swing — to play on
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. fine — all right
  5. court — of a king
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bore — to tire
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. court — of law
  10. kick — in football
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. fine — high quality
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. court — for sport
  15. wake — a trail
  16. swing — music
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. swing — in golf
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. lean — thin

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