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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. chest — a box
  5. vault — a safe
  6. ball — a dance
  7. lean — thin
  8. game — wild animals
  9. last — to go on
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. last — final
  12. game — a match
  13. wound — an injury
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. chest — of your body
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. last — finally
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wound — an injury
  24. lean — to bend

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