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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. pitch — completely
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. swing — in golf
  6. shower — to wash
  7. chest — a box
  8. chest — of your body
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. swing — music
  14. swing — to play on
  15. rush — hurry
  16. vault — a safe
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. mug — a face
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. shower — rain
  21. chest — of your body
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. mug — a cup
  24. pitch — a sports field

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