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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. wound — an injury
  6. vault — a safe
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. wound — an injury
  9. chip — to eat
  10. chip — for betting
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — of your body
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. pitch — completely
  20. chest — a box
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. pitch — a sports field

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