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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. wound — an injury
  3. roll — a list
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cold — an illness
  10. wound — an injury
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. chest — of your body
  13. roll — a cake
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. chest — of your body
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. ball — a dance
  18. vault — a safe
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. ball — a great time
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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