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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — money
  8. vault — a safe
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — a break
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. root — of a plant
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. root — of a word
  17. rest — what's left
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. mark — a trace
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. root — the cause
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. mark — a grade

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