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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. bank — of a river
  3. vault — a safe
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. chair — a leader
  6. field — a subject
  7. clip — for paper
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. pitch — completely
  15. lean — to bend
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. bank — for money
  18. lean — thin
  19. clip — a video
  20. clip — to cut
  21. field — for sport
  22. bank — for money
  23. field — farmland
  24. lean — to rest against

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