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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. row — a line
  4. present — the time now
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. present — a gift
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. dip — to sink
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. row — to paddle
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. present — there
  18. rush — hurry
  19. lean — thin
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. chair — a leader
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. cabinet — ministers

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