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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. rush — hurry
  3. fall — to drop
  4. key — in music
  5. key — the most important part
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. vault — a safe
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. season — in sport
  12. race — the arms race
  13. race — humankind
  14. fall — to drop
  15. key — for a lock
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. race — a contest
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — of the year
  20. fall — the season
  21. bark — to shout
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mark — a trace

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