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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. game — wild animals
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — thin
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. drill — the tool
  13. game — a match
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. march — the month
  16. spell — a short time
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. drill — army training
  19. pass — a permit
  20. drill — a practice
  21. march — music
  22. spell — magic
  23. march — the month
  24. foot — a measure

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