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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  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. leaves — to go away
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — a trace
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. board — to get on
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. wound — an injury
  9. lean — thin
  10. file — a line of people
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — a committee
  16. capital — money
  17. vault — a safe
  18. wound — an injury
  19. file — a tool
  20. file — a document
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. lean — to bend
  23. capital — a city
  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