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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. plane — a tool
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. object — a thing
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. mug — to rob
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mug — a face
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. vault — a safe
  15. mug — a cup
  16. object — to protest
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. object — an aim
  19. dip — to sink
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. bat — the animal
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. bat — in an idiom

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