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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 laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. tear — from crying
  3. cell — a phone
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. sharp — clever
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. fall — the season
  8. vault — a safe
  9. tear — from crying
  10. chest — a box
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. fall — to drop
  13. chest — of your body
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. fall — to drop
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. tear — to rip
  23. cell — in biology
  24. calf — a young animal

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