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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. vault — a safe
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. squash — the sport
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. squash — to crush
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. last — to go on
  11. chest — of your body
  12. last — final
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. sharp — clever
  15. last — finally
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. wake — a trail
  18. firm — steady
  19. chest — a box
  20. firm — decided
  21. firm — a company
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rush — to hurry

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