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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. vault — a safe
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. shower — to wash
  7. bark — to shout
  8. field — for sport
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. shower — rain
  12. lie — to recline
  13. chair — a leader
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. field — a subject
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. field — farmland
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. chest — a box
  24. chair — a professorship

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