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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. march — music
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. file — a document
  5. band — a ring
  6. degree — from a university
  7. ground — crushed
  8. vault — a safe
  9. band — a music group
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — a position
  13. march — the month
  14. degree — temperature
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. degree — an amount
  17. file — a line of people
  18. saw — the tool
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. march — the month
  21. plane — a tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. file — a tool
  24. saw — the tool

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