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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. rest — what's left
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. rush — hurry
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. lean — thin
  10. chair — a leader
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. perch — the fish
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. rest — a break
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. degree — temperature
  20. degree — from a university
  21. degree — an amount
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. lean — to bend
  24. rest — what's left

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