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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. row — a line
  4. kid — child
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. kid — to tease
  7. ball — a dance
  8. staff — employees
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. chest — a box
  11. row — to paddle
  12. pit — in a race
  13. pit — a hole
  14. net — after costs
  15. staff — a stick
  16. net — for catching
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. staff — employees
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. net — in sport
  21. ball — a great time
  22. chest — of your body
  23. vault — a safe
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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