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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mug — a face
  3. cap — a lid
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. cap — of ice
  6. file — a document
  7. foot — a measure
  8. object — an aim
  9. vault — a safe
  10. chest — a box
  11. cap — a hat
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. file — a tool
  14. object — to protest
  15. chest — of your body
  16. mug — to rob
  17. object — a thing
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. pop — soda
  20. pop — to visit
  21. chest — of your body
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. pop — music
  24. file — a line of people

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