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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  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. vault — a safe
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. chest — of your body
  6. spring — of water
  7. staff — a stick
  8. bank — for money
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. face — part of the head
  11. cold — an illness
  12. chest — of your body
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — of a river
  16. staff — employees
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. face — to confront
  19. spring — the season
  20. cold — not warm
  21. staff — employees
  22. face — to point toward
  23. calf — a young animal
  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