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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 is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. pit — a hole
  3. track — a path
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. vault — a safe
  6. wound — an injury
  7. track — to keep track
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. pit — in a race
  10. can — a tin
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. toast — bread
  17. lean — to bend
  18. sharp — clever
  19. track — a song
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. wound — an injury
  22. can — to be able to
  23. can — a tin
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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