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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. chest — of your body
  3. file — a line of people
  4. vault — a safe
  5. bear — the animal
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. file — a document
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bear — the animal
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of a king
  13. rock — a stone
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — a short time
  17. court — of law
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. file — a tool
  20. rock — music
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. spell — letters
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. kick — in football

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