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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. pop — soda
  3. chest — a box
  4. cell — a phone
  5. chest — of your body
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. chest — of your body
  8. vault — a safe
  9. cell — in biology
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. shower — rain
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bulb — for light
  19. shower — to wash
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. pop — music
  23. kid — to tease
  24. bulb — for light

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