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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  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. rest — a break
  2. vault — a safe
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. cell — in biology
  5. chest — a box
  6. degree — temperature
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. stand — to bear
  9. rule — government
  10. cell — a phone
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. degree — from a university
  13. row — to paddle
  14. row — a line
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. rule — a law
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left
  19. degree — an amount
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. chest — of your body
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. rule — to rule out
  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