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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 120 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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. row — to paddle
  3. staff — a stick
  4. lean — thin
  5. key — for a lock
  6. pit — a hole
  7. key — in music
  8. row — a line
  9. charge — electricity
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. staff — employees
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. staff — employees
  18. charge — a price
  19. march — music
  20. key — the most important part
  21. march — the month
  22. lean — to bend
  23. march — the month
  24. charge — in control

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