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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. present — the time now
  3. present — a gift
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. cap — of ice
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. rest — what's left
  8. track — a song
  9. track — a path
  10. rest — what's left
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — to push
  13. lean — to bend
  14. cap — a hat
  15. press — newspapers
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. track — to keep track
  18. rest — a break
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. cap — a lid
  23. march — music
  24. present — there

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