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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. prune — to trim
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. vault — a safe
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. pit — in a race
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. pit — a hole
  10. root — the cause
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. root — of a plant
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. root — of a word
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — of your body
  19. prune — to trim
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. rash — hasty
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. chest — a box

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