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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 116 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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. can — a tin
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. can — a tin
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. rash — hasty
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cue — for pool
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. stand — to bear
  13. lean — thin
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. cue — a signal
  17. rash — a series
  18. cue — a hint
  19. can — to be able to
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. sharp — clever
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — a supporter

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