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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. kid — child
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. fall — the season
  7. capital — money
  8. degree — from a university
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. fall — to drop
  13. capital — a city
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. kid — to tease
  16. degree — an amount
  17. vault — a safe
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. fall — to drop
  20. plane — a tool
  21. bark — to shout
  22. foot — a measure
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. capital — a big letter

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