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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. vault — a safe
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. mug — a face
  6. shower — to wash
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — of a river
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. mug — to rob
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. scale — in music
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. shower — rain
  16. cold — not warm
  17. bank — for money
  18. foot — a measure
  19. cold — an illness
  20. scale — size or range
  21. plane — a tool
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. plane — in geometry

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