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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. game — wild animals
  6. chest — of your body
  7. cell — a phone
  8. chest — a box
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. vault — a safe
  11. game — a match
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. chest — of your body
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. cabinet — ministers

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