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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. march — the month
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cell — a phone
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. march — music
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. scale — size or range
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. fall — to drop
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. fall — the season
  20. fall — to drop
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. scale — in music
  23. march — the month
  24. straw — dry grass

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