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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. net — for catching
  3. rash — a series
  4. stand — to bear
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. lie — to recline
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. toast — bread
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. row — to paddle
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. lean — thin
  16. rash — hasty
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. row — a line
  19. net — in sport
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lean — to bend
  22. net — after costs
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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