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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. cell — in biology
  3. fall — to drop
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. cold — an illness
  6. can — a tin
  7. fall — the season
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. cell — a phone
  10. land — ground
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. fall — to drop
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. land — a country
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. land — to come down
  17. can — to be able to
  18. plane — a tool
  19. vault — a safe
  20. can — a tin
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — not warm

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