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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. mine — for digging
  3. chest — of your body
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. field — farmland
  6. vault — a safe
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. field — a subject
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. field — for sport
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. chest — a box
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bulb — for light

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