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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. vault — a safe
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. chest — of your body
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — to trim
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. chest — a box
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chip — for betting
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. foot — a measure
  18. stand — to bear
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. chip — to eat
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. foot — the bottom

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