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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. mark — a trace
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. pit — a hole
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. fine — all right
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. lean — to bend
  13. fine — high quality
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. mark — a grade
  17. pit — in a race
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. last — final
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. last — to go on
  23. lean — thin
  24. last — finally

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