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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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. vault — a safe
  6. pit — in a race
  7. chest — a box
  8. deal — to handle
  9. roll — a list
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. staff — a stick
  14. roll — a cake
  15. pit — a hole
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. chip — for betting
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — employees
  22. chip — to eat
  23. bat — the animal
  24. chest — of your body

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