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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. mark — a grade
  3. cap — of ice
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. spring — a coil
  6. chest — a box
  7. bat — the animal
  8. perch — the fish
  9. chest — of your body
  10. spring — the season
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. cap — a lid
  17. chest — of your body
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. spring — of water
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. mark — a trace
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. cap — a hat

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