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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. chest — of your body
  3. drill — a practice
  4. game — a match
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. face — to point toward
  7. face — part of the head
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. mug — a cup
  12. game — wild animals
  13. lean — to bend
  14. face — to confront
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. drill — the tool
  18. mug — a face
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. mug — to rob
  21. drill — army training
  22. chest — a box
  23. chest — of your body
  24. branch — a division

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