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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. vault — a safe
  5. degree — temperature
  6. kick — in football
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. chest — of your body
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. degree — from a university
  12. wind — moving air
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. chest — a box
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. degree — an amount
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. pit — in a race
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. tube — a container
  22. pit — a hole
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. tube — the underground

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