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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. present — there
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — soda
  7. key — the most important part
  8. club — for golf
  9. row — to paddle
  10. key — for a lock
  11. club — a group
  12. club — for dancing
  13. present — a gift
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. game — a match
  16. wake — a trail
  17. key — in music
  18. pop — to visit
  19. present — the time now
  20. lean — thin
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. game — wild animals
  24. row — a line

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