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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. suit — clothes
  3. lean — to bend
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. net — in sport
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. lean — thin
  10. scale — size or range
  11. net — for catching
  12. scale — in music
  13. suit — in cards
  14. wake — a trail
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. suit — to fit
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bark — to shout
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. net — after costs
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. chair — a leader

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