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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. fork — in a road
  4. game — a match
  5. lean — thin
  6. foot — a measure
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. mark — a trace
  9. lean — to bend
  10. object — a thing
  11. chest — a box
  12. object — to protest
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. wound — an injury
  15. game — wild animals
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. chest — of your body
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. object — an aim
  20. wound — an injury
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. chest — of your body
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. lean — to rest against

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