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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. present — the time now
  5. present — there
  6. bass — low music
  7. key — the most important part
  8. tear — from crying
  9. roll — a cake
  10. can — a tin
  11. present — a gift
  12. key — for a lock
  13. can — to be able to
  14. bass — the fish
  15. tear — from crying
  16. lean — to bend
  17. kick — in football
  18. roll — a list
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. can — a tin
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. key — in music
  23. tear — to rip
  24. kick — a thrill

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