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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — the underground
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. drill — army training
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. tube — a container
  8. file — a line of people
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. rule — government
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. drill — the tool
  13. lean — thin
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. file — a document
  16. file — a tool
  17. rule — a law
  18. game — wild animals
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. drill — a practice
  21. game — a match
  22. perch — the fish
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. perch — for a bird

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