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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. row — to paddle
  3. row — a line
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. pitch — completely
  8. vault — a safe
  9. ball — a great time
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — the season
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. roll — a list
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. fall — to drop
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. lean — thin
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. lean — to bend
  23. roll — a cake
  24. ball — a dance

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