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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. chip — to eat
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. chip — for betting
  13. vault — a safe
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. cell — in biology
  16. foot — a measure
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cold — not warm
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. cell — a phone
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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