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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. mate — a partner
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a path
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. track — a song
  9. roll — a list
  10. mate — a friend
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. saw — the tool
  15. kick — in football
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. last — to go on
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. lean — thin
  21. mate — to breed
  22. last — finally
  23. roll — a cake
  24. last — final

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