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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. tube — a container
  5. fall — the season
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. fall — to drop
  8. tube — the underground
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. march — the month
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. vault — a safe
  14. face — part of the head
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. face — to point toward
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. fall — to drop
  20. face — to confront
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. fork — in a road
  23. march — the month
  24. march — music

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