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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — a series
  3. chest — of your body
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chest — a box
  9. lean — to bend
  10. rock — music
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. scale — size or range
  14. scale — in music
  15. bear — the animal
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rock — a stone
  19. lean — thin
  20. bear — the animal
  21. lie — to recline
  22. rash — hasty
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. lie — an untruth

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