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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 120 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: race · lie · rock · lean · chest · clip · foot · squash

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. chest — a box
  3. clip — for paper
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. lean — thin
  12. clip — to cut
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. race — the arms race
  15. squash — to crush
  16. race — humankind
  17. clip — a video
  18. race — a contest
  19. rock — a stone
  20. lie — to recline
  21. foot — a measure
  22. squash — the sport
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. rock — music

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