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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. key — in music
  4. key — the most important part
  5. swing — music
  6. spell — letters
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. swing — to play on
  9. chest — of your body
  10. key — for a lock
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. land — ground
  13. spell — magic
  14. swing — in golf
  15. spell — a short time
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. vault — a safe
  19. chest — of your body
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. land — a country
  22. chest — a box
  23. lean — thin
  24. land — to come down

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