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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — of your body
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. game — a match
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. game — wild animals
  16. pit — a hole
  17. vault — a safe
  18. pit — in a race
  19. chest — a box
  20. perch — the fish
  21. stem — to come from
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — size or range

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