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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. staff — employees
  3. rash — hasty
  4. staff — a stick
  5. mark — a grade
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chair — a leader
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. vault — a safe
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. staff — employees
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. game — a match
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. plane — a tool
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. rash — a series
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. mark — a trace
  23. game — wild animals
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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