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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. tube — the underground
  3. drill — a practice
  4. track — a song
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. chest — of your body
  7. suit — clothes
  8. drill — the tool
  9. lean — thin
  10. lean — to bend
  11. suit — in cards
  12. track — to keep track
  13. suit — to fit
  14. track — a path
  15. chest — of your body
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. tube — a container
  18. drill — army training
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. spell — a short time
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. spell — magic
  24. chest — a box

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