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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. drill — the tool
  3. suit — in cards
  4. lean — thin
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. suit — clothes
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. capital — a city
  10. drill — army training
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. pit — a hole
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pit — in a race
  17. suit — to fit
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. roll — a list
  20. capital — money
  21. drill — a practice
  22. lie — to recline
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. lean — to bend

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