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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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. club — a group
  4. wound — an injury
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. chip — to eat
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. club — for golf
  9. suit — clothes
  10. suit — to fit
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. lean — to bend
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. wound — an injury
  16. fine — all right
  17. hand — help
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. hand — in cards
  20. club — for dancing
  21. suit — in cards
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. chip — for betting
  24. fine — high quality

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