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

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. file — a document
  6. suit — to fit
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. file — a line of people
  9. clip — a video
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. suit — in cards
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — to cut
  14. pitch — completely
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. lean — thin
  18. file — a tool
  19. bat — the animal
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. lean — to bend
  23. stand — to bear
  24. suit — clothes

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