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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. chest — of your body
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. chest — a box
  6. fine — all right
  7. rock — music
  8. cap — a hat
  9. rock — a stone
  10. file — a tool
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. ground — a position
  13. fine — high quality
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a line of people
  16. cap — of ice
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. ground — crushed
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. vault — a safe
  21. ground — the earth
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. cap — a lid

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