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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. cold — not warm
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. wake — a trail
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. chip — for betting
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. chair — a leader
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. snap — to click
  18. chip — to eat
  19. fine — high quality
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. lean — thin
  22. cold — an illness
  23. fine — all right
  24. chair — to sit on

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