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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. scale — size or range
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. vault — a safe
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. key — for a lock
  7. lean — to bend
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. lean — thin
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. mate — to breed
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. scale — in music
  16. bark — to shout
  17. key — in music
  18. snap — to click
  19. key — the most important part
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. mate — a partner
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. mate — a friend

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