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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. chair — a leader
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. cap — of ice
  5. chest — of your body
  6. shower — rain
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. vault — a safe
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. cap — a hat
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. foot — a measure
  16. chest — of your body
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. shower — to wash
  22. cap — a lid
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. nail — for a hammer

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