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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 116 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. lean — to bend
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. face — to confront
  5. pass — a permit
  6. stock — shares
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. lean — thin
  9. squash — the sport
  10. rock — music
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. squash — to crush
  13. vault — a safe
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. face — part of the head
  16. band — a music group
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. stock — goods
  20. rock — a stone
  21. face — to point toward
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. band — a ring
  24. pass — to spend time

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