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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 120 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. fine — high quality
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pass — a permit
  6. face — to point toward
  7. root — of a word
  8. fine — all right
  9. vault — a safe
  10. file — a document
  11. last — final
  12. pitch — completely
  13. file — a tool
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. last — to go on
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. file — a line of people
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to confront
  21. root — of a plant
  22. last — finally
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. root — the cause

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