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

Word bank: vault · row · file · fine · lean · pit · leaves · kid

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. kid — to tease
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. kid — child
  7. file — a tool
  8. file — a line of people
  9. pit — in a race
  10. vault — a safe
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. file — a document
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. row — to paddle
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. lean — thin
  17. row — a line
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. fine — all right
  20. pit — a hole
  21. fine — high quality
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. lean — to rest against

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