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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. fall — the season
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. court — for sport
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. prune — to trim
  10. vault — a safe
  11. wound — an injury
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. court — of a king
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. court — of law
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. chair — a leader
  20. fall — to drop
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. fall — to drop
  23. wound — an injury
  24. prune — to trim

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