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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chest · sharp · wound · bowl · rule · vault · fall · can

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rule — government
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rule — a law
  9. can — a tin
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. fall — to drop
  12. chest — of your body
  13. can — a tin
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. vault — a safe
  16. can — to be able to
  17. fall — the season
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — clever
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. wound — an injury
  24. chest — a box

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