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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. lie — to recline
  5. drill — army training
  6. spring — a coil
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. firm — decided
  9. bat — the animal
  10. firm — steady
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a great time
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. vault — a safe
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. spring — the season
  18. capital — money
  19. drill — a practice
  20. firm — a company
  21. capital — a city
  22. spring — of water
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bat — in an idiom

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