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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. chest — a box
  3. wound — an injury
  4. swing — to play on
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. vault — a safe
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. chest — of your body
  9. swing — music
  10. wound — an injury
  11. last — final
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wake — a trail
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. chest — of your body
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — finally
  23. swing — in golf
  24. toast — bread

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