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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. present — the time now
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — a safe
  7. capital — a city
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. row — a line
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. present — a gift
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. capital — money
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. chest — of your body
  17. lean — thin
  18. present — there
  19. sharp — clever
  20. chest — a box
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. chest — of your body
  23. lean — to bend
  24. row — to paddle

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