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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. shower — to wash
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — an illness
  9. vault — a safe
  10. fork — in a road
  11. shower — rain
  12. charge — a price
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. pass — a permit
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — a coil
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. charge — electricity
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. charge — in control
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. lean — to bend

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