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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. prune — to trim
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. current — of water
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. current — electric
  10. kick — in football
  11. current — happening now
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. vault — a safe
  14. shower — to wash
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. prune — to trim
  18. shower — rain
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. plane — a tool
  24. ruler — for measuring

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