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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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Word bank
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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. file — a document
  3. stand — to bear
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. file — a tool
  7. toast — bread
  8. race — a contest
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. chest — a box
  11. vault — a safe
  12. race — the arms race
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. chest — of your body
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. race — humankind
  19. squash — the sport
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. squash — to crush
  23. file — a line of people
  24. toast — the most admired

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