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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. mine — for digging
  3. chest — of your body
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. lean — thin
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. cue — a hint
  8. staff — employees
  9. chest — a box
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. lean — to bend
  12. staff — employees
  13. cue — for pool
  14. season — of the year
  15. snap — to click
  16. cue — a signal
  17. drill — the tool
  18. staff — a stick
  19. drill — a practice
  20. chest — of your body
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. season — in sport

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