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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. clip — for paper
  3. staff — employees
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. suit — clothes
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. clip — to cut
  10. chest — a box
  11. suit — in cards
  12. chest — of your body
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. lean — to bend
  15. chest — of your body
  16. clip — a video
  17. suit — to fit
  18. staff — employees
  19. lean — thin
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. plane — a tool
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. snap — to click
  24. staff — a stick

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