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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. foot — a measure
  3. shower — rain
  4. chest — a box
  5. chest — of your body
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. toast — bread
  10. lie — to recline
  11. chest — of your body
  12. shower — to wash
  13. tube — the underground
  14. field — a subject
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. tube — a container
  21. field — for sport
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. vault — a safe

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