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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 116 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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. wound — an injury
  3. board — to get on
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. wound — an injury
  7. last — final
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. vault — a safe
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. file — a tool
  14. cell — in biology
  15. board — a committee
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — for light
  18. file — a line of people
  19. last — to go on
  20. saw — the tool
  21. cell — a phone
  22. file — a document
  23. last — finally
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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