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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. chest — of your body
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. face — part of the head
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. chest — of your body
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. bark — to shout
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — to point toward
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. chest — a box
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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