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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  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. drill — a practice
  2. rock — music
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. lean — to bend
  5. lean — thin
  6. cap — of ice
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. last — to go on
  9. drill — army training
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. squash — to crush
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. last — finally
  16. drill — the tool
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. cap — a hat
  19. squash — the sport
  20. rock — a stone
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. cap — a lid
  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