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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. deal — to handle
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wake — a trail
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. vault — a safe
  13. chip — for betting
  14. lean — thin
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bass — low music
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. chip — to eat
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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