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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 120 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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  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. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. lean — to bend
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. cell — in biology
  7. bound — certain
  8. bound — tied together
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. board — a committee
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. cell — a phone
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. lean — thin
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. bound — obliged
  18. vault — a safe
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. board — to get on
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  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