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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. scale — in music
  3. foot — a measure
  4. mate — to breed
  5. lean — to bend
  6. scale — size or range
  7. lean — thin
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. drill — army training
  10. mine — for digging
  11. drill — the tool
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. mate — a friend
  14. staff — employees
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. drill — a practice
  17. perch — the fish
  18. mate — a partner
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. staff — employees
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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