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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. chair — a leader
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. lean — to bend
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. wake — a trail
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. roll — a list
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. lean — thin
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. fine — high quality
  23. roll — a cake
  24. lash — an eyelash

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