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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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. mark — a grade
  3. spring — the season
  4. chest — a box
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. ball — a dance
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. land — a country
  16. ball — a great time
  17. land — to come down
  18. spring — a coil
  19. chest — of your body
  20. spring — of water
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. land — ground
  23. vault — a safe
  24. nail — for a hammer

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