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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 120 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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. wind — moving air
  3. plane — a tool
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a music group
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bore — to drill
  14. ball — a great time
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. hand — in cards
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. bore — to tire
  22. ball — a dance
  23. pass — a permit
  24. vault — a safe

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