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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lean — thin
  4. row — to paddle
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — part of the head
  10. lean — to bend
  11. rash — hasty
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. row — a line
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. rash — a series
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. band — a ring
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. band — a music group
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. fork — in a road
  24. racket — for tennis

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