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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. current — of water
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. march — the month
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. march — the month
  8. court — of law
  9. court — of a king
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. current — electric
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. march — music
  15. kick — in football
  16. perch — the fish
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. lean — thin
  19. court — for sport
  20. current — happening now
  21. cold — not warm
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. cold — an illness
  24. lean — to bend

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