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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. kid — to tease
  3. last — finally
  4. rest — what's left
  5. kid — child
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. vault — a safe
  9. chest — of your body
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. chest — of your body
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. staff — a stick
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — to grow
  18. staff — employees
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — final
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. staff — employees
  23. rest — a break
  24. rest — what's left

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