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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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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: stick · row · object · lean · key · cold · ball · mate

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. lean — to bend
  3. ball — a dance
  4. mate — to breed
  5. ball — a great time
  6. object — a thing
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. object — an aim
  9. key — in music
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mate — a partner
  12. row — a line
  13. lean — thin
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. cold — not warm
  16. key — for a lock
  17. cold — an illness
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. key — the most important part
  22. object — to protest
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. row — to paddle

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