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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 116 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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. pit — in a race
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. present — the time now
  9. pit — a hole
  10. cell — a phone
  11. fork — in a road
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. vault — a safe
  14. scale — in music
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. wound — an injury
  17. cell — in biology
  18. scale — size or range
  19. bat — the animal
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. present — there
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. present — a gift

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