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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. vault — a safe
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. lean — to bend
  5. rule — government
  6. rule — a law
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. last — final
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. lean — thin
  12. court — of a king
  13. mate — a friend
  14. court — for sport
  15. branch — a division
  16. bear — the animal
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. court — of law
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. last — to go on
  21. bear — the animal
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mate — to breed
  24. last — finally

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