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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. vault — a safe
  4. fine — all right
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. fine — high quality
  7. cell — a phone
  8. ball — a dance
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. ball — a great time
  14. branch — a division
  15. face — part of the head
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. face — to point toward
  18. wake — a trail
  19. face — to confront
  20. cell — in biology
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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