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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. net — for catching
  3. vault — a safe
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. pitch — completely
  6. rock — music
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. lean — thin
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. wax — to grow
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. net — in sport
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. net — after costs
  20. cold — an illness
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. lean — to bend
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. cold — not warm

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