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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: rock · pit · vault · jam · last · lean · present · leaves

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. vault — a safe
  6. last — finally
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. last — final
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. last — to go on
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. present — a gift
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. present — there
  16. lean — thin
  17. rock — a stone
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pit — a hole
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. lean — to bend
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. present — the time now

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