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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. cue — a hint
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. ball — a great time
  6. fall — the season
  7. pit — a hole
  8. cue — a signal
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. pit — in a race
  12. scale — in music
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. chest — of your body
  15. scale — size or range
  16. chair — a leader
  17. vault — a safe
  18. chest — a box
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. fall — to drop
  22. cue — for pool
  23. fall — to drop
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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