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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. track — a path
  3. file — a line of people
  4. spell — letters
  5. cue — a hint
  6. ground — the earth
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. vault — a safe
  11. spell — magic
  12. cue — a signal
  13. track — a song
  14. file — a document
  15. plane — a tool
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. cue — for pool
  18. track — to keep track
  19. spell — a short time
  20. ground — crushed
  21. file — a tool
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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