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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: wound · vault · hide · cell · game · face · bass · foot

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. wound — an injury
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. wound — an injury
  6. face — part of the head
  7. bass — the fish
  8. vault — a safe
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. face — to confront
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. cell — in biology
  13. face — to point toward
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. game — a match
  17. foot — a measure
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. bass — low music
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. cell — a phone
  24. game — wild animals

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