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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 116 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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. swing — music
  3. vault — a safe
  4. cell — in biology
  5. lean — thin
  6. lean — to bend
  7. spring — of water
  8. march — music
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. swing — in golf
  11. march — the month
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. degree — temperature
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. degree — an amount
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — a coil
  22. march — the month
  23. degree — from a university
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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