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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 116 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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. hand — in cards
  6. rest — a break
  7. stem — to come from
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. hand — help
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. tube — the underground
  16. rest — what's left
  17. vault — a safe
  18. land — ground
  19. rest — what's left
  20. tube — a container
  21. land — a country
  22. land — to come down
  23. march — the month
  24. racket — for tennis

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