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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bass — low music
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. lean — thin
  9. rest — a break
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. game — wild animals
  13. vault — a safe
  14. game — a match
  15. wake — a trail
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. bass — the fish
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. pitch — completely
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. rest — what's left
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rush — to hurry

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