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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. land — a country
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. drill — the tool
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. chest — of your body
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. foot — a measure
  10. kid — child
  11. bulb — for light
  12. vault — a safe
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. drill — a practice
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — to wash
  17. land — ground
  18. land — to come down
  19. bulb — for light
  20. drill — army training
  21. chest — a box
  22. kid — to tease
  23. shower — rain
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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