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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. rock — a stone
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. lean — to bend
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. deal — to handle
  7. lean — thin
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. march — music
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. march — the month
  15. staff — a stick
  16. chair — a leader
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rock — music
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. staff — employees
  21. snap — to click
  22. staff — employees
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. march — the month

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