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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. chest — of your body
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cue — for pool
  8. ground — crushed
  9. capital — a city
  10. ground — the earth
  11. cue — a signal
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. chest — a box
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. ground — a position
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. scale — size or range
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. scale — in music
  23. capital — money
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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