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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. last — finally
  5. vault — a safe
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. degree — from a university
  8. pit — in a race
  9. degree — temperature
  10. pit — a hole
  11. degree — an amount
  12. net — after costs
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. net — for catching
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. last — to go on
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. lie — to recline
  23. plane — a tool
  24. net — in sport

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