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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. lean — to bend
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bore — to tire
  7. vault — a safe
  8. kick — in football
  9. present — a gift
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. present — there
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mark — a trace
  17. chip — for betting
  18. lean — thin
  19. present — the time now
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. chip — to eat
  22. game — a match
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. game — wild animals

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