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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 116 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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. file — a line of people
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. cue — a signal
  6. stock — shares
  7. cue — a hint
  8. craft — boats
  9. file — a tool
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. file — a document
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. lean — to bend
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. cue — for pool
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. craft — a skill
  22. stock — goods
  23. pitch — completely
  24. kick — in football

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