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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. pass — a permit
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. last — to go on
  6. track — a path
  7. lean — to bend
  8. court — for sport
  9. rash — hasty
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. track — a song
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. can — a tin
  14. track — to keep track
  15. rash — a series
  16. can — a tin
  17. court — of a king
  18. last — final
  19. last — finally
  20. court — of law
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. can — to be able to

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