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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. rush — hurry
  3. drill — army training
  4. lean — thin
  5. stand — to bear
  6. scale — in music
  7. can — a tin
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. drill — the tool
  12. can — a tin
  13. squash — the sport
  14. cold — an illness
  15. squash — to crush
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. lean — to bend
  18. cold — not warm
  19. can — to be able to
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — size or range
  24. squash — the vegetable

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