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

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. wake — a trail
  3. march — music
  4. lean — thin
  5. march — the month
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. object — to protest
  8. object — a thing
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — to bend
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. tube — a container
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. kid — to tease
  16. march — the month
  17. object — an aim
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. kid — child

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