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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. can — a tin
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. kid — child
  10. cell — a phone
  11. bore — to drill
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. bore — to tire
  14. kid — to tease
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. prune — to trim
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. prune — to trim
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cell — in biology
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bore — gave birth

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