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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mark — a trace
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. drill — the tool
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. kid — child
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. drill — army training
  14. mine — for digging
  15. kid — to tease
  16. drill — a practice
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. mark — a grade
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. vault — a safe
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. wind — moving air
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. wind — moving air

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