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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 116 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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Word bank
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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. rash — hasty
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — a series
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lean — to bend
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. vault — a safe
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. dip — to sink
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. lean — thin
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. chair — a leader

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