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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. lean — thin
  4. wound — an injury
  5. land — to come down
  6. lean — to bend
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. object — to protest
  12. vault — a safe
  13. field — for sport
  14. land — a country
  15. field — farmland
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pound — a weight
  19. object — a thing
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. object — an aim
  22. wound — an injury
  23. field — a subject
  24. land — ground

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