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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. march — the month
  4. chip — for betting
  5. drill — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. lean — to bend
  8. press — newspapers
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. press — to push
  11. swing — to play on
  12. march — music
  13. tube — a container
  14. saw — the tool
  15. march — the month
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. drill — a practice
  18. swing — in golf
  19. press — a publisher
  20. lean — thin
  21. saw — the tool
  22. chip — to eat
  23. swing — music
  24. tube — the underground

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