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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. roll — a cake
  5. chest — of your body
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. mine — for digging
  8. roll — a list
  9. chest — of your body
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — crushed
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. chest — a box
  16. vault — a safe
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. ground — a position
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. craft — boats
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. craft — a skill
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. craft — a handicraft

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