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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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. chest — of your body
  3. rock — a stone
  4. can — to be able to
  5. rock — music
  6. shower — to wash
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. cap — a hat
  9. can — a tin
  10. lean — thin
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. chest — a box
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. lean — to bend
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. can — a tin
  18. stem — to come from
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cap — a lid
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. chest — of your body
  24. shower — rain

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