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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 sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. chest — a box
  3. snap — to click
  4. field — for sport
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. vault — a safe
  7. can — a tin
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. can — a tin
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. field — a subject
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. chest — of your body
  17. roll — a cake
  18. field — farmland
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. roll — a list
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. can — to be able to
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. chest — of your body

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