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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 116 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. track — a song
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. track — a path
  5. sharp — clever
  6. swing — to play on
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. content — happy
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. pit — a hole
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. track — to keep track
  15. content — the amount
  16. pit — in a race
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. swing — music
  23. swing — in golf
  24. content — videos and posts

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