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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 do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. hand — help
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. hand — in cards
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. vault — a safe
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. fine — high quality
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. fine — all right
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cold — not warm
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. cold — an illness

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