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

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. vault — a safe
  9. tear — from crying
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. roll — a list
  13. bear — the animal
  14. roll — a cake
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — to recline
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. dip — to sink
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. tear — from crying
  23. plane — a tool
  24. bear — the animal

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