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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. club — a group
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. lean — thin
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. track — to keep track
  7. rush — hurry
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. club — for dancing
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. craft — a skill
  14. pit — a hole
  15. game — a match
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. track — a path
  19. club — for golf
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. track — a song
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. pit — in a race
  24. craft — boats

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