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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. track — a song
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a path
  6. face — to confront
  7. band — a music group
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. band — a ring
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. wake — a trail
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. face — to point toward
  16. foot — a measure
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. face — part of the head
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. straw — dry grass

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