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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. lean — thin
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. vault — a safe
  7. file — a document
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a line of people
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. plane — a tool
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. hand — help
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. last — finally
  18. field — farmland
  19. last — to go on
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. lean — to bend
  22. last — final
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — a subject

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