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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. cap — of ice
  3. ball — a dance
  4. firm — a company
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — a lid
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. vault — a safe
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. net — after costs
  13. firm — decided
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. chest — of your body
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. net — for catching
  20. firm — steady
  21. net — in sport
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. chest — a box
  24. ball — a great time

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