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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. drill — a practice
  6. net — after costs
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. pit — in a race
  14. net — for catching
  15. vault — a safe
  16. net — in sport
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. mark — a trace
  19. drill — army training
  20. mark — a grade
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a ring
  23. pit — a hole
  24. drill — 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