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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. chest — of your body
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. shower — rain
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. chest — a box
  13. bat — the animal
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. shower — to wash
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. vault — a safe

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