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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — thin
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. net — after costs
  6. present — a gift
  7. net — in sport
  8. drill — army training
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. saw — the tool
  11. stock — shares
  12. drill — a practice
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. saw — the tool
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. stock — goods
  17. net — for catching
  18. drill — the tool
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. present — the time now
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. present — there

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