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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — a series
  4. saw — the tool
  5. face — part of the head
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — a box
  9. face — to confront
  10. stock — shares
  11. rash — hasty
  12. saw — the tool
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. face — to point toward
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. stock — goods
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. capital — a city
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. vault — a safe
  24. capital — money

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