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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. hand — in cards
  3. plane — a tool
  4. net — after costs
  5. vault — a safe
  6. fall — to drop
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. fall — the season
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. current — electric
  12. net — in sport
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. content — happy
  15. content — the amount
  16. hand — help
  17. ball — a dance
  18. current — happening now
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. net — for catching
  21. current — of water
  22. fall — to drop
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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