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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 120 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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. lean — thin
  4. bound — tied together
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. key — the most important part
  7. rash — hasty
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. key — in music
  13. key — for a lock
  14. vault — a safe
  15. bound — certain
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. lean — to bend
  18. bound — obliged
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. pitch — completely
  22. stem — to come from
  23. rash — a series
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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