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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spring — a coil
  3. lean — to bend
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. face — to point toward
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. chair — a leader
  11. cell — in biology
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — temperature
  14. face — part of the head
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. vault — a safe
  17. spring — of water
  18. degree — from a university
  19. face — to confront
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. cell — a phone
  22. lean — thin
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. chair — a professorship

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