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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. chest — of your body
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. sharp — clever
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. vault — a safe
  15. mine — for digging
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. press — newspapers
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. press — to push
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. press — a publisher
  23. chest — of your body
  24. mine — an explosive

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