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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — child
  7. stand — to bear
  8. fork — in a road
  9. cap — of ice
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. lean — thin
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. cell — a phone
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. scale — in music
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. lean — to bend
  18. scale — size or range
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cell — in biology

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