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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. net — in sport
  3. charge — in control
  4. club — for dancing
  5. lean — to bend
  6. net — for catching
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. charge — a price
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — a short time
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. net — after costs
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. charge — electricity
  15. club — a group
  16. club — for golf
  17. lean — thin
  18. content — happy
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. content — the amount
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. spell — magic
  24. trunk — of a tree

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