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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. fall — to drop
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — a box
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. fall — to drop
  7. drill — the tool
  8. vault — a safe
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. rash — hasty
  11. chest — of your body
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. drill — army training
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. fall — the season
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. ground — a position
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — the earth
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. drill — a practice

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