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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. stand — to bear
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. roll — a list
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. object — a thing
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. lie — to recline
  14. object — to protest
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. wound — an injury
  20. roll — a cake
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. object — an aim
  23. wound — an injury
  24. net — for catching

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