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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. toast — bread
  3. sharp — clever
  4. lean — to bend
  5. file — a tool
  6. chair — a leader
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. lean — thin
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. fine — high quality
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. file — a line of people
  15. fine — all right
  16. file — a document
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. lean — to rest against

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