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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. sharp — clever
  3. cold — not warm
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. dip — to sink
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. row — to paddle
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. row — a line
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. lie — to recline
  22. pound — a weight
  23. vault — a safe
  24. pound — for dogs

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