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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. vault — a safe
  4. bass — the fish
  5. lean — thin
  6. rash — a series
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. court — for sport
  9. dip — to sink
  10. bass — low music
  11. track — a song
  12. court — of a king
  13. rash — hasty
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. lean — to bend
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. track — to keep track
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. court — of law
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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