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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. lean — to bend
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. chest — of your body
  5. lean — thin
  6. object — a thing
  7. chest — a box
  8. object — to protest
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mark — a grade
  11. staff — employees
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. staff — employees
  15. chest — of your body
  16. mug — a face
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. staff — a stick
  19. mug — a cup
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. object — an aim
  22. vault — a safe
  23. mark — a trace
  24. date — the fruit

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