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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. file — a line of people
  5. chest — of your body
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. vault — a safe
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. file — a document
  12. file — a tool
  13. ground — a position
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. wound — an injury
  19. chest — a box
  20. chair — a leader
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. chest — of your body
  24. ground — crushed

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