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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 120 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. clip — to cut
  5. clip — for paper
  6. mug — a cup
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. clip — a video
  9. hand — in cards
  10. stock — shares
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mug — to rob
  13. hand — help
  14. stock — goods
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. mate — a friend
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. lean — thin
  19. mate — to breed
  20. vault — a safe
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. mug — a face
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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