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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. vault — a safe
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cell — in biology
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. cell — a phone
  15. snap — to click
  16. ground — a position
  17. chest — of your body
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. ground — the earth
  20. chest — of your body
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. fork — in a road
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. ground — crushed

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