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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pit — in a race
  3. mug — a face
  4. mug — a cup
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bound — obliged
  7. file — a line of people
  8. mug — to rob
  9. rush — hurry
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. lean — to bend
  12. file — a tool
  13. bound — certain
  14. wax — to grow
  15. chest — a box
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. chest — of your body
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. file — a document
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. lean — thin
  24. bound — tied together

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