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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. mine — for digging
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. chip — for betting
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. cell — in biology
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. lean — thin
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. cell — a phone
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. chip — to eat
  24. toast — bread

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