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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bound — tied together
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. lean — thin
  8. file — a line of people
  9. net — for catching
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. hand — help
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. lean — to bend
  15. file — a tool
  16. hand — in cards
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. file — a document
  19. net — after costs
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — certain
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. net — in sport

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