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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  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 — to rest against
  2. fine — all right
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fine — high quality
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — to shout
  8. rest — what's left
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. rest — a break
  16. rest — what's left
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. lean — thin
  21. pitch — completely
  22. lean — to bend
  23. bat — the animal
  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