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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. branch — a division
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. ground — crushed
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. charge — in control
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. charge — a price
  15. charge — electricity
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. ground — a position
  18. vault — a safe
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. roll — a list
  21. ground — the earth
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. roll — a cake

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