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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. charge — electricity
  3. charge — a price
  4. ground — crushed
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a music group
  7. ground — a position
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. ground — the earth
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. key — for a lock
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. chest — of your body
  14. key — the most important part
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. key — in music
  18. chest — a box
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. vault — a safe
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. pitch — completely
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. charge — in control

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