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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. vault — a safe
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. bank — for money
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. pop — soda
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. foot — a measure
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. saw — the tool
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bank — for money
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. pop — to visit
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bank — of a river
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. fork — in a road
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. chair — a leader
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. saw — the tool
  24. pop — music

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