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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lean · drill · mouse · pitcher · swing · track · present · cold

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  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. track — to keep track
  2. lean — thin
  3. swing — music
  4. drill — army training
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. present — the time now
  7. cold — an illness
  8. present — a gift
  9. cold — not warm
  10. drill — the tool
  11. track — a song
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. swing — to play on
  14. track — a path
  15. swing — in golf
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. present — there
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. drill — a practice
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. lean — to bend
  23. mouse — for a computer
  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