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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. mate — to breed
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. saw — the tool
  7. mate — a partner
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. cap — a hat
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. saw — the tool
  15. cap — of ice
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — a line
  18. mate — a friend
  19. vault — a safe
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. plane — a tool
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. cap — a lid
  24. row — to paddle

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