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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. vault — a safe
  3. mug — a cup
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to point toward
  6. cold — an illness
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. bound — tied together
  9. game — wild animals
  10. bat — the animal
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. mug — to rob
  16. bound — certain
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. cold — not warm
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. game — a match
  21. mug — a face
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. face — to confront
  24. bound — obliged

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