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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  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. present — there
  2. bound — certain
  3. swing — to play on
  4. track — a song
  5. wind — moving air
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. lean — thin
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. swing — in golf
  10. lean — to bend
  11. present — the time now
  12. firm — steady
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. swing — music
  15. track — a path
  16. firm — decided
  17. firm — a company
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bound — obliged
  20. vault — a safe
  21. track — to keep track
  22. present — a gift
  23. wind — moving air
  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