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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. chip — for betting
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. face — to point toward
  5. stand — to bear
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. fork — in a road
  8. rock — music
  9. vault — a safe
  10. shower — to wash
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. face — part of the head
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. shower — rain
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. face — to confront
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. chip — to eat
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. lean — thin
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. rock — a stone
  24. fork — a garden tool

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