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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 116 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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. net — after costs
  4. vault — a safe
  5. net — in sport
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. kid — child
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. file — a line of people
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. file — a tool
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. charge — electricity
  16. mark — a grade
  17. wind — moving air
  18. charge — in control
  19. mark — a trace
  20. charge — a price
  21. plane — a tool
  22. file — a document
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. kid — to tease

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