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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. land — to come down
  3. chest — of your body
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. lean — to bend
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. suit — to fit
  10. shower — to wash
  11. toast — bread
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cell — in biology
  14. shower — rain
  15. chest — of your body
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. land — ground
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. suit — in cards
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. chest — a box
  22. land — a country
  23. suit — clothes
  24. ruler — for measuring

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