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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. club — for golf
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. lean — thin
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. fine — all right
  7. current — electric
  8. club — for dancing
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. fine — high quality
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. club — a group
  13. toast — bread
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. chest — a box
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. chest — of your body
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. current — of water
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. chest — of your body
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. current — happening now
  24. temple — a place of worship

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