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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 120 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 was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. chair — a leader
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. bank — for money
  7. rest — what's left
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. tube — the underground
  10. wound — an injury
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. wound — an injury
  14. foot — a measure
  15. bank — for money
  16. rest — what's left
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. rest — a break
  20. vault — a safe
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. bank — of a river
  24. tube — a container

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