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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. lean — to bend
  5. mug — a cup
  6. ground — the earth
  7. court — of law
  8. kid — to tease
  9. mug — a face
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. ground — a position
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. court — of a king
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. ground — crushed
  17. lean — thin
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. kid — child
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. court — for sport
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. mug — to rob

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