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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. swing — music
  4. face — part of the head
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. press — to push
  7. swing — to play on
  8. face — to confront
  9. lean — to bend
  10. face — to point toward
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. press — newspapers
  16. swing — in golf
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. lean — thin
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — the fish
  21. vault — a safe
  22. press — a publisher
  23. toast — bread
  24. mine — for digging

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