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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. staff — a stick
  3. net — for catching
  4. lean — to bend
  5. net — in sport
  6. charge — a price
  7. last — to go on
  8. staff — employees
  9. roll — a list
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. race — the arms race
  12. roll — a cake
  13. charge — electricity
  14. race — a contest
  15. charge — in control
  16. last — finally
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — a series
  19. race — humankind
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. staff — employees
  22. last — final
  23. net — after costs
  24. rash — hasty

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