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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's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. shower — rain
  3. kick — in football
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — thin
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. fine — high quality
  10. cell — a phone
  11. vault — a safe
  12. fine — all right
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. cell — in biology
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to point toward
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. roll — a list
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. lean — to bend
  24. roll — a cake

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