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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  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. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — in sport
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. present — there
  8. object — an aim
  9. vault — a safe
  10. kid — child
  11. mate — a friend
  12. present — the time now
  13. object — a thing
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. object — to protest
  19. mate — a partner
  20. present — a gift
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. net — for catching
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  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