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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — a box
  3. face — part of the head
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. content — the amount
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. row — a line
  9. row — to paddle
  10. season — of the year
  11. vault — a safe
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. chest — of your body
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. face — to confront
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — in football
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. season — in sport
  21. face — to point toward
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — happy

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