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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. object — to protest
  3. plane — a tool
  4. chest — of your body
  5. vault — a safe
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. chest — a box
  8. ground — crushed
  9. rock — music
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cold — an illness
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. object — an aim
  19. ground — the earth
  20. chest — of your body
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. object — a thing
  23. ground — a position
  24. plane — an aircraft

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