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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. charge — electricity
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. shower — to wash
  6. row — to paddle
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. mine — for digging
  9. can — a tin
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. charge — a price
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. kick — in football
  17. charge — in control
  18. row — a line
  19. chair — a leader
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. can — to be able to
  22. can — a tin
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. shower — rain

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