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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bound — obliged
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. lean — to bend
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bound — certain
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. bound — tied together
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. wound — an injury
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. season — of the year
  16. toast — bread
  17. plane — a tool
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. season — in sport
  21. kid — child
  22. wound — an injury
  23. vault — a safe
  24. plane — an aircraft

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