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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 120 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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. degree — from a university
  5. lean — thin
  6. degree — temperature
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. tube — a container
  9. saw — the tool
  10. tube — the underground
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. chair — a leader
  13. net — in sport
  14. lean — to bend
  15. face — to confront
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. net — after costs
  19. saw — the tool
  20. net — for catching
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. degree — an amount
  23. face — to point toward
  24. face — part of the head

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