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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. fall — the season
  3. field — a subject
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. fall — to drop
  6. lean — to bend
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. lie — to recline
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. vault — a safe
  13. march — the month
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. lean — thin
  17. fall — to drop
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. field — for sport
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. snap — to click
  24. field — farmland

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