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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bass — low music
  3. kick — in football
  4. current — of water
  5. spring — the season
  6. bass — the fish
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. current — happening now
  9. cell — a phone
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. spring — of water
  12. pass — a permit
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. lean — to bend
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. current — electric
  17. spring — a coil
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. lean — thin
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. cell — in biology
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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