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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 116 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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. last — to go on
  4. drill — a practice
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — to bend
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. last — finally
  13. drill — the tool
  14. hand — help
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. tube — a container
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. hand — in cards
  19. drill — army training
  20. fine — all right
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. fine — high quality
  24. last — final

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