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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. saw — the tool
  3. chest — of your body
  4. cold — not warm
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. cold — an illness
  11. present — the time now
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. present — a gift
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. bear — the animal
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. chest — a box
  21. wake — a trail
  22. present — there
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bear — the animal

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