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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. toast — bread
  3. vault — a safe
  4. pit — a hole
  5. board — a committee
  6. mark — a trace
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. lean — thin
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. pit — in a race
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. board — to get on
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. mark — a grade

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