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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. drill — the tool
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. tube — the underground
  8. lean — to bend
  9. track — a path
  10. kick — in football
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. track — to keep track
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. spell — letters
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. tube — a container
  19. drill — army training
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — magic
  22. track — a song
  23. drill — a practice
  24. tube — in a tire

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