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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lean · fall · firm · hand · mate · key · snap · mug

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. key — for a lock
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. mug — to rob
  5. key — in music
  6. firm — decided
  7. mate — a friend
  8. key — the most important part
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. lean — thin
  11. fall — to drop
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mate — a partner
  14. snap — to click
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. firm — steady
  19. hand — help
  20. lean — to bend
  21. mate — to breed
  22. hand — in cards
  23. firm — a company
  24. mug — a face

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