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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. game — wild animals
  3. scale — in music
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. saw — the tool
  8. kick — in football
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. scale — size or range
  11. saw — the tool
  12. race — the arms race
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. prune — to trim
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. race — a contest
  19. prune — to trim
  20. game — a match
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. race — humankind
  24. vault — a safe

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