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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. kid — child
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. club — a group
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. wound — an injury
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. dip — to sink
  18. wake — a trail
  19. vault — a safe
  20. kid — to tease
  21. club — for dancing
  22. wound — an injury
  23. club — for golf
  24. mine — for digging

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