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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. mug — to rob
  3. toast — bread
  4. bat — the animal
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. chest — of your body
  7. game — a match
  8. chest — of your body
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. bark — to shout
  13. mug — a cup
  14. game — wild animals
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. mug — a face
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. vault — a safe
  24. chest — a box

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