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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. lie — to recline
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. file — a line of people
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. wound — an injury
  7. lean — to bend
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. cell — a phone
  11. file — a tool
  12. wound — an injury
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. toast — bread
  15. cell — in biology
  16. kick — in football
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. vault — a safe
  19. file — a document
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lean — thin
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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