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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 120 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: deal · chest · cell · straw · content · vault · firm · present

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. deal — to handle
  5. present — the time now
  6. chest — of your body
  7. cell — a phone
  8. present — a gift
  9. firm — steady
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. firm — decided
  12. present — there
  13. content — the amount
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. chest — a box
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. chest — of your body
  20. firm — a company
  21. content — happy
  22. cell — in biology
  23. vault — a safe
  24. deal — a big deal

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