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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. rock — a stone
  5. saw — the tool
  6. cell — in biology
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. cell — a phone
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bear — the animal
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. saw — the tool
  14. spring — of water
  15. vault — a safe
  16. pitch — completely
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. rock — music
  21. bear — the animal
  22. spring — the season
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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