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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. object — to protest
  3. ground — a position
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. rest — a break
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. vault — a safe
  8. plane — a tool
  9. object — an aim
  10. track — to keep track
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. ground — the earth
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. ground — crushed
  15. track — a song
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. march — the month
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. object — a thing
  20. rest — what's left
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. rest — what's left
  24. deal — to handle

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