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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. last — final
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. plane — a tool
  6. bound — tied together
  7. wake — a trail
  8. last — to go on
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. bound — obliged
  11. last — finally
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. bound — certain
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. vault — a safe
  16. degree — from a university
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. degree — temperature
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. foot — a measure
  22. degree — an amount
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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