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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: land · pop · vault · game · chair · lie · chest · patient

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. vault — a safe
  6. pop — soda
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chair — a leader
  13. pop — music
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. game — wild animals
  16. land — a country
  17. chest — of your body
  18. game — a match
  19. pop — to visit
  20. land — ground
  21. land — to come down
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. lie — an untruth

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