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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. season — in sport
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. mine — for digging
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — hasty
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. sharp — clever
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. season — of the year
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. vault — a safe

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