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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. object — to protest
  4. mate — to breed
  5. chest — of your body
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. fall — to drop
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. object — a thing
  12. fall — to drop
  13. mark — a grade
  14. row — to paddle
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. mate — a partner
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. chest — of your body
  19. mark — a trace
  20. object — an aim
  21. mate — a friend
  22. fall — the season
  23. row — a line
  24. chest — a box

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