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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 is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. pop — to visit
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. scale — in music
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. bound — obliged
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. chest — a box
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bound — tied together
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. chest — of your body
  17. pop — music
  18. bound — certain
  19. scale — size or range
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. lean — to bend
  23. pop — soda
  24. nail — for a hammer

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