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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. shower — rain
  4. face — part of the head
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. ball — a great time
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. face — to confront
  10. snap — to click
  11. ball — a dance
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. face — to point toward
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bark — to shout
  21. lean — to bend
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. lean — thin
  24. shower — to wash

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