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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. charge — a price
  3. chest — of your body
  4. vault — a safe
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. land — ground
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. object — a thing
  9. object — an aim
  10. chest — a box
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. face — to confront
  13. wake — a trail
  14. face — part of the head
  15. face — to point toward
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. object — to protest
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. land — a country
  20. charge — in control
  21. chest — of your body
  22. charge — electricity
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. land — to come down

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