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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. drill — a practice
  3. track — to keep track
  4. cue — a signal
  5. land — a country
  6. track — a path
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. saw — the tool
  9. land — to come down
  10. drill — army training
  11. saw — the tool
  12. lean — to bend
  13. land — ground
  14. cue — a hint
  15. rash — a series
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. cue — for pool
  18. bat — the animal
  19. lean — thin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. track — a song
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. drill — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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