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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. face — part of the head
  4. lean — to bend
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — thin
  7. face — to point toward
  8. hand — help
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. swing — music
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. face — to confront
  13. wound — an injury
  14. drill — the tool
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. swing — in golf
  19. swing — to play on
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. wound — an injury
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. drill — army training

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