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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. hand — help
  3. pop — to visit
  4. hand — in cards
  5. pop — soda
  6. vault — a safe
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. fine — high quality
  10. pop — music
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. file — a document
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. cap — of ice
  16. fine — all right
  17. cap — a hat
  18. file — a tool
  19. cap — a lid
  20. chest — a box
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. file — a line of people
  23. chest — of your body
  24. hand — part of the body

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