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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. net — in sport
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. lie — to recline
  6. fall — to drop
  7. vault — a safe
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. kid — to tease
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. fall — to drop
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. net — for catching
  18. snap — to click
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. net — after costs
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. kid — child
  23. fall — the season
  24. cell — a phone

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