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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. club — a group
  3. kid — to tease
  4. chest — a box
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bound — tied together
  7. chest — of your body
  8. deal — to handle
  9. bound — obliged
  10. club — for dancing
  11. vault — a safe
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. wound — an injury
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. club — for golf
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. wound — an injury
  20. pit — a hole
  21. bound — certain
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pit — in a race

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