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

Word bank: pit · mouse · kick · foot · lean · hide · cold · stick

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cold — not warm
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. kick — in football
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. lean — to bend
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. pit — a hole
  18. cold — an illness
  19. foot — a measure
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. lean — thin
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pit — in a race

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