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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. file — a line of people
  3. court — for sport
  4. lie — to recline
  5. mine — for digging
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. stock — goods
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. wind — moving air
  11. season — in sport
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — shares
  14. season — of the year
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. file — a tool
  17. court — of law
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. vault — a safe
  22. file — a document
  23. wind — moving air
  24. court — of a king

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