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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. fall — to drop
  3. shower — to wash
  4. fall — the season
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. court — of law
  7. shower — rain
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. saw — the tool
  13. vault — a safe
  14. court — of a king
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fall — to drop
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. rule — government
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. saw — the tool
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. court — for sport
  23. rule — a law
  24. patient — a sick person

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