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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: foot · lean · vault · firm · file · perch · sharp · chair

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. firm — steady
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — a safe
  7. foot — a measure
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. firm — decided
  10. perch — the fish
  11. sharp — clever
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. lean — thin
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a tool
  18. chair — a leader
  19. file — a line of people
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. firm — a company
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. chair — to sit on

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