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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. kick — in football
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. lean — thin
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. spring — the season
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. spring — of water
  11. lean — to bend
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. last — final
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. last — finally
  19. last — to go on
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. spring — a coil
  24. plane — a tool

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