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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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. bound — tied together
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. kick — in football
  11. chest — a box
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. season — of the year
  15. staff — employees
  16. chest — of your body
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bat — the animal
  19. vault — a safe
  20. staff — a stick
  21. season — in sport
  22. staff — employees
  23. bound — certain
  24. season — to add flavour

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