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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. scale — size or range
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. plane — a tool
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. tear — from crying
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. tear — from crying
  18. vault — a safe
  19. squash — the sport
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. squash — to crush
  23. scale — in music
  24. tear — to rip

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