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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 120 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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. face — to point toward
  3. fall — to drop
  4. vault — a safe
  5. field — a subject
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. face — to confront
  8. field — for sport
  9. bear — the animal
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fork — in a road
  12. field — farmland
  13. bear — the animal
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. face — part of the head
  18. rule — government
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. cell — in biology
  24. fall — the season

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