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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 116 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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. staff — employees
  3. key — in music
  4. key — for a lock
  5. lean — thin
  6. staff — a stick
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. lean — to bend
  9. key — the most important part
  10. clip — a video
  11. wind — moving air
  12. chair — a leader
  13. pop — music
  14. face — to confront
  15. pop — soda
  16. face — to point toward
  17. clip — for paper
  18. clip — to cut
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. wind — moving air
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. pop — to visit
  23. face — part of the head
  24. staff — employees

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