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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. vault — a safe
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. pit — a hole
  9. rule — government
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. chest — of your body
  12. rule — a law
  13. content — happy
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. lie — to recline
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. pit — in a race
  18. chest — a box
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. content — the amount
  24. chest — of your body

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