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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. mug — to rob
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. mug — a cup
  5. fine — high quality
  6. roll — a list
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — a break
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. foot — a measure
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. chair — a leader
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. rest — what's left
  17. mug — a face
  18. lean — thin
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. fall — to drop
  22. roll — a cake
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. lean — to bend

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