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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lean — to bend
  4. vault — a safe
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. date — the fruit
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. chest — of your body
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — obliged
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. lean — thin
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bound — tied together

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