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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. wound — an injury
  4. vault — a safe
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. pop — soda
  7. chest — a box
  8. row — a line
  9. pop — music
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. pop — to visit
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. squash — to crush
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. chest — of your body
  18. row — to paddle
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. squash — the sport
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. wound — an injury
  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