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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 116 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 tickets are free of ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — to drop
  4. vault — a safe
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. charge — in control
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — farmland
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. snap — to click
  18. charge — electricity
  19. field — a subject
  20. fall — the season
  21. plane — a tool
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. fan — a supporter

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