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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. hand — help
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. bass — the fish
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. charge — electricity
  8. charge — in control
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. lean — to bend
  15. game — wild animals
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bass — low music
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. stand — to bear
  22. charge — a price
  23. lean — thin
  24. game — a match

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