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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. scale — size or range
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. chest — a box
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. scale — in music
  13. degree — from a university
  14. vault — a safe
  15. degree — an amount
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. degree — temperature
  18. sharp — clever
  19. chest — of your body
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. chest — of your body

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