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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. current — of water
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. lean — to bend
  6. current — happening now
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wind — moving air
  12. current — electric
  13. tear — to rip
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. foot — a measure
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. tear — from crying
  19. wind — moving air
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. chair — a leader
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. date — the fruit

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