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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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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: firm · season · lean · sharp · bass · present · pop · vault

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. pop — to visit
  4. present — there
  5. sharp — clever
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. season — of the year
  10. vault — a safe
  11. lean — thin
  12. pop — music
  13. firm — a company
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. firm — steady
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. firm — decided
  18. bass — low music
  19. present — the time now
  20. season — in sport
  21. present — a gift
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. pop — soda
  24. bass — the fish

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