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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. spell — a short time
  5. last — to go on
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. file — a document
  8. vault — a safe
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. file — a tool
  11. face — to confront
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — magic
  15. file — a line of people
  16. pitch — completely
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. face — part of the head
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. last — final
  24. last — finally

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