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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. chest — of your body
  4. spell — magic
  5. rest — a break
  6. scale — in music
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. scale — size or range
  9. chest — of your body
  10. mine — for digging
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — what's left
  14. chest — a box
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. spell — a short time
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. spell — letters
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. stand — to bear

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