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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 · foot · season · drill · vault · rule · arm · cap

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. cap — a lid
  5. drill — army training
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. chest — a box
  8. rule — government
  9. drill — a practice
  10. season — of the year
  11. vault — a safe
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. rule — a law
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. cap — a hat
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. chest — of your body
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. foot — a measure
  22. chest — of your body
  23. drill — the tool
  24. cap — of ice

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