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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. staff — a stick
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. track — to keep track
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. staff — employees
  10. rash — hasty
  11. net — for catching
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. net — after costs
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. staff — employees
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. net — in sport
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. track — a song
  22. lean — to bend
  23. track — a path
  24. rash — a series

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