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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. saw — the tool
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. sharp — clever
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. saw — the tool
  11. scale — in music
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — to paddle
  15. vault — a safe
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. kid — to tease
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. row — a line
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. fork — in a road
  23. scale — size or range
  24. kid — child

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