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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 120 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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. lean — to bend
  4. drill — a practice
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. drill — the tool
  7. rock — music
  8. stock — goods
  9. rock — a stone
  10. stock — shares
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. board — a committee
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — to get on
  16. drill — army training
  17. capital — a city
  18. lean — thin
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. capital — money
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. mouse — the animal

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