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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 116 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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. file — a line of people
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. firm — steady
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. lean — thin
  8. firm — decided
  9. pound — a weight
  10. face — part of the head
  11. face — to point toward
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. file — a tool
  14. pitch — completely
  15. file — a document
  16. face — to confront
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. cold — not warm
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. firm — a company
  24. cold — an illness

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