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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: last · bound · rest · lean · ground · staff · bat · vault

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. staff — employees
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bound — obliged
  5. ground — the earth
  6. lean — to bend
  7. bat — the animal
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. last — final
  10. ground — a position
  11. staff — employees
  12. vault — a safe
  13. last — finally
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. last — to go on
  16. rest — what's left
  17. staff — a stick
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. ground — crushed
  20. bound — tied together
  21. rest — a break
  22. bound — certain
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. lean — thin

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