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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. face — to point toward
  3. fork — in a road
  4. bass — low music
  5. chest — of your body
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. kid — to tease
  9. bass — the fish
  10. ball — a great time
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. kid — child
  13. chest — a box
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. shower — rain
  16. ball — a dance
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — to wash
  19. face — part of the head
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. chest — of your body
  23. face — to confront
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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