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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. rule — a law
  3. scale — in music
  4. net — after costs
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. perch — the fish
  7. lean — to bend
  8. pop — soda
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. rule — government
  11. net — for catching
  12. pop — music
  13. pop — to visit
  14. scale — size or range
  15. lean — thin
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. net — in sport
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. safe — out of danger

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