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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. drill — the tool
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. file — a line of people
  5. track — a path
  6. drill — army training
  7. squash — the sport
  8. game — a match
  9. lean — to bend
  10. squash — to crush
  11. track — to keep track
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. lean — thin
  14. game — wild animals
  15. file — a document
  16. drill — a practice
  17. track — a song
  18. bear — the animal
  19. firm — a company
  20. bear — the animal
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. file — a tool
  23. firm — steady
  24. firm — decided

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