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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. lean — thin
  4. cell — a phone
  5. vault — a safe
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. lean — to bend
  10. mine — for digging
  11. season — in sport
  12. roll — a cake
  13. cell — in biology
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. roll — a list
  16. chair — a leader
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. season — of the year
  21. dip — to sink
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. mine — an explosive

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