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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. march — the month
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — the animal
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. cell — in biology
  11. chest — of your body
  12. march — music
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. chest — of your body
  19. march — the month
  20. chest — a box
  21. vault — a safe
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cell — a phone

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