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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. suit — in cards
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. lean — thin
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rule — a law
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. fine — high quality
  10. suit — to fit
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pitch — completely
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. lean — to bend
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. rule — government
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. fine — all right
  19. suit — clothes
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. file — a document
  22. saw — the tool
  23. file — a line of people
  24. file — a tool

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