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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. present — the time now
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. last — to go on
  6. degree — temperature
  7. present — a gift
  8. vault — a safe
  9. stock — shares
  10. last — finally
  11. wake — a trail
  12. clip — to cut
  13. present — there
  14. degree — an amount
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. clip — a video
  17. plane — a tool
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. stock — goods
  20. last — final
  21. degree — from a university
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. clip — for paper

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