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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: mine · lie · season · cold · ruler · vault · chest · mug

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  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. chest — a box
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. mug — a face
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. chest — of your body
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. cold — not warm
  14. season — of the year
  15. vault — a safe
  16. mine — for digging
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. season — in sport
  19. cold — an illness
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. mug — to rob
  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