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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. object — a thing
  5. saw — the tool
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. vault — a safe
  12. chair — a leader
  13. bear — the animal
  14. present — a gift
  15. bear — the animal
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. fall — the season
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. present — the time now
  20. fall — to drop
  21. present — there
  22. object — an aim
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. fall — to drop

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