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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. chest — a box
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. kid — child
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. cold — an illness
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. chest — of your body
  16. degree — an amount
  17. vault — a safe
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. cold — not warm
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — from a university
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. chest — of your body
  24. kid — to tease

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