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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. rash — hasty
  4. suit — clothes
  5. mark — a grade
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — a line
  10. last — final
  11. last — to go on
  12. suit — to fit
  13. key — in music
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. mark — a trace
  16. last — finally
  17. lean — to bend
  18. key — for a lock
  19. row — to paddle
  20. suit — in cards
  21. lean — thin
  22. bark — to shout
  23. key — the most important part
  24. bark — of a tree

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