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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. net — after costs
  3. fork — in a road
  4. tear — from crying
  5. content — happy
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. board — a committee
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. track — a path
  11. content — the amount
  12. track — a song
  13. track — to keep track
  14. vault — a safe
  15. tear — to rip
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. charge — a price
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. net — for catching
  21. net — in sport
  22. charge — in control
  23. charge — electricity
  24. tear — from crying

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