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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. fine — all right
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. shower — to wash
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. pop — soda
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. shower — rain
  15. bear — the animal
  16. pop — music
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. fine — high quality
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. bear — the animal

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