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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. lean — to bend
  3. last — to go on
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. vault — a safe
  6. root — the cause
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. content — the amount
  9. last — final
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. bat — the animal
  13. lean — thin
  14. root — of a plant
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. content — happy
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. root — of a word
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. last — finally
  24. mouse — for a computer

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