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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. hand — in cards
  3. object — to protest
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wound — an injury
  6. object — an aim
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. lean — thin
  9. object — a thing
  10. content — happy
  11. content — the amount
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. hand — help
  14. lean — to bend
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. wound — an injury
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. pop — to visit
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. pop — music
  23. pop — soda
  24. chair — a leader

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