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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 116 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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. lean — to bend
  3. content — happy
  4. fall — to drop
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. lean — thin
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. plane — a tool
  13. fall — the season
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. fall — to drop
  19. content — the amount
  20. vault — a safe
  21. season — in sport
  22. wake — a trail
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — of the year

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