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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. pitch — completely
  3. cold — an illness
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. stem — to come from
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. object — to protest
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cold — not warm
  15. sharp — clever
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. object — a thing
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. foot — a measure
  24. object — an aim

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