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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. lean — thin
  3. foot — a measure
  4. pop — soda
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. pop — music
  7. last — to go on
  8. lean — to bend
  9. vault — a safe
  10. present — a gift
  11. present — there
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. pop — to visit
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. season — of the year
  20. present — the time now
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. last — finally
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — in sport

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