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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. staff — employees
  3. club — for golf
  4. sharp — clever
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to bend
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. face — to confront
  10. face — part of the head
  11. wound — an injury
  12. suit — clothes
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — a stick
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. suit — in cards
  18. wound — an injury
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. face — to point toward
  21. club — a group
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. suit — to fit
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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