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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. fall — to drop
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. chest — of your body
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. face — to point toward
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. vault — a safe
  15. net — for catching
  16. fall — the season
  17. face — to confront
  18. net — in sport
  19. game — a match
  20. fall — to drop
  21. net — after costs
  22. game — wild animals
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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