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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. drill — army training
  3. season — in sport
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. drill — a practice
  6. tube — the underground
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. lean — to bend
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. key — the most important part
  12. foot — a measure
  13. key — for a lock
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. key — in music
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bore — to drill
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. drill — the tool
  22. season — of the year
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. tube — a container

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