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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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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. tube — the underground
  3. staff — employees
  4. scale — size or range
  5. kick — in football
  6. lean — to bend
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. race — the arms race
  9. scale — in music
  10. staff — employees
  11. track — to keep track
  12. tube — a container
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. track — a song
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. race — humankind
  20. race — a contest
  21. track — a path
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. staff — a stick

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