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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. saw — the tool
  6. chest — a box
  7. sharp — clever
  8. press — to push
  9. saw — the tool
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. current — happening now
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. chest — of your body
  15. plane — a tool
  16. current — of water
  17. vault — a safe
  18. chest — of your body
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. current — electric
  21. press — a publisher
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. press — newspapers
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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