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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. rock — music
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. lean — thin
  5. spell — magic
  6. wind — moving air
  7. lean — to bend
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. rock — a stone
  10. toast — bread
  11. fall — to drop
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. spell — a short time
  14. mine — for digging
  15. spell — letters
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. fall — to drop
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. vault — a safe
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. wind — moving air
  24. fall — the season

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