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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — thin
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. field — a subject
  11. chest — a box
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. field — farmland
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. field — for sport
  21. rule — a law
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. mine — for digging
  24. rule — government

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