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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. kid — to tease
  3. lean — to bend
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. kid — child
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. wind — moving air
  10. chip — for betting
  11. roll — a list
  12. rock — music
  13. lean — thin
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. rock — a stone
  19. roll — a cake
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. bear — the animal
  22. chip — to eat
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bear — the animal

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