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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. chest — a box
  3. cap — of ice
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. chest — of your body
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. vault — a safe
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. toast — bread
  16. chest — of your body
  17. branch — a division
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. cap — a lid
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cap — a hat
  22. roll — a list
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. coach — a trainer

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