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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. capital — a city
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. suit — clothes
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bat — the animal
  10. lean — thin
  11. suit — in cards
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. rule — a law
  15. capital — money
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. kick — in football
  18. suit — to fit
  19. lean — to bend
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. rule — government
  24. rule — to rule out

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