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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. hand — help
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. kid — to tease
  5. cell — a phone
  6. vault — a safe
  7. object — an aim
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. hand — in cards
  11. chest — of your body
  12. cell — in biology
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. object — a thing
  18. chest — a box
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — certain
  23. object — to protest
  24. bay — a horse colour

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