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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 120 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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. net — after costs
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. vault — a safe
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. chair — a leader
  12. cold — not warm
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. net — in sport
  15. stem — to come from
  16. net — for catching
  17. charge — a price
  18. cold — an illness
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. charge — electricity
  21. charge — in control
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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