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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. row — a line
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. row — to paddle
  7. lean — to bend
  8. scale — size or range
  9. capital — money
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. capital — a city
  14. mate — a partner
  15. foot — a measure
  16. mate — a friend
  17. lean — thin
  18. mate — to breed
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. rush — hurry
  21. scale — in music
  22. deal — to handle
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. row — a quarrel

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