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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. game — a match
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. squash — to crush
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — wild animals
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. squash — the sport
  16. lean — to bend
  17. lean — thin
  18. scale — size or range
  19. kid — child
  20. scale — in music
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. kid — to tease
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. chair — a leader

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