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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. prune — to trim
  6. scale — size or range
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. plane — a tool
  9. prune — to trim
  10. press — a publisher
  11. wind — moving air
  12. press — newspapers
  13. wind — moving air
  14. press — to push
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. net — after costs
  18. scale — in music
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — for catching
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. prune — the fruit

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