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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 120 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. vault — a safe
  3. mug — a face
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. rock — music
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. mug — a cup
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wound — an injury
  12. chest — of your body
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. mug — to rob
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rock — a stone
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. fine — all right
  21. chest — a box
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. wound — an injury

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