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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. kid — to tease
  3. chest — of your body
  4. lean — to bend
  5. chest — of your body
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. vault — a safe
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. net — after costs
  11. chip — for betting
  12. net — in sport
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chest — a box
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. club — for golf
  19. lean — thin
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. club — for dancing
  23. club — a group
  24. kid — child

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