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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. degree — from a university
  3. rock — music
  4. net — for catching
  5. bear — the animal
  6. fall — to drop
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. net — in sport
  9. chair — a leader
  10. vault — a safe
  11. fall — to drop
  12. degree — an amount
  13. net — after costs
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. degree — temperature
  21. lean — thin
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bear — the animal
  24. fall — the season

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