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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: mate · game · vault · face · wind · foot · bulb · chest

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. mate — a partner
  4. game — wild animals
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. vault — a safe
  8. face — to point toward
  9. bulb — for light
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. bulb — for light
  13. foot — a measure
  14. face — part of the head
  15. chest — a box
  16. mate — to breed
  17. face — to confront
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. chest — of your body
  21. game — a match
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. wind — moving air
  24. chest — of your body

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