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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. mug — a face
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. chest — of your body
  5. suit — to fit
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. plane — a tool
  8. lean — thin
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — the fruit
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. rash — a series
  13. kick — in football
  14. rash — hasty
  15. lean — to bend
  16. chest — a box
  17. mug — a cup
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. suit — in cards
  20. suit — clothes
  21. mug — to rob
  22. chest — of your body
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. plane — in geometry

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