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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. plane — a tool
  3. club — a group
  4. field — a subject
  5. rest — what's left
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. lie — to recline
  8. vault — a safe
  9. club — for dancing
  10. can — a tin
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. field — for sport
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. rest — what's left
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. shower — to wash
  18. club — for golf
  19. can — to be able to
  20. field — farmland
  21. rest — a break
  22. shower — rain
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. plane — in geometry

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