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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 120 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. lean — thin
  6. pop — music
  7. court — for sport
  8. pop — soda
  9. mark — a trace
  10. season — of the year
  11. firm — decided
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. court — of a king
  14. season — in sport
  15. bat — the animal
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. pop — to visit
  18. mark — a grade
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. court — of law
  21. firm — a company
  22. firm — steady
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. lean — to rest against

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