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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — a coil
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. hand — in cards
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. pit — in a race
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cap — a lid
  14. wax — to grow
  15. cap — of ice
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in biology
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. vault — a safe
  22. spring — the season
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. cap — a hat

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