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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bay · vault · mug · lean · arm · mate · content · pop

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lean — thin
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. mate — to breed
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. vault — a safe
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. pop — to visit
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. mate — a friend
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. mug — a face
  17. mug — a cup
  18. content — the amount
  19. lean — to bend
  20. pop — soda
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. mug — to rob
  23. pop — music
  24. mate — a partner

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