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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: vault · mark · bat · pitcher · lean · present · sharp · rest

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  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. present — a gift
  2. lean — thin
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. rest — a break
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. present — there
  7. rest — what's left
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mark — a grade
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — clever
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. present — the time now
  16. bat — the animal
  17. vault — a safe
  18. mark — a trace
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. rest — what's left
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. lean — to bend
  23. bat — in an idiom
  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