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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. dip — to sink
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. lean — thin
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. march — the month
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. perch — the fish
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wound — an injury
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. wound — an injury
  21. sharp — clever
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. lean — to bend
  24. saw — the tool

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