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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. file — a line of people
  5. lean — to bend
  6. roll — a cake
  7. swing — music
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. fine — all right
  11. lean — thin
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. swing — in golf
  14. bark — to shout
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — a box
  17. chest — of your body
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. file — a document
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. swing — to play on
  22. stand — to bear
  23. fine — high quality
  24. file — a tool

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