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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: arm · vault · chest · stick · pass · nail · plane · cold

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. cold — an illness
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. chest — a box
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. plane — a tool
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. pass — a permit
  15. vault — a safe
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. chest — of your body
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. cold — not warm
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. chest — of your body
  24. nail — for a hammer

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