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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. cold — not warm
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. plane — a tool
  7. can — to be able to
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. key — the most important part
  10. chest — of your body
  11. can — a tin
  12. cold — an illness
  13. chest — a box
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. key — in music
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. key — for a lock
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. vault — a safe
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. can — a tin
  23. chest — of your body
  24. kick — in football

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