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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. stem — to come from
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. last — finally
  11. last — to go on
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. game — a match
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. tear — to rip
  19. last — final
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. tear — from crying
  22. vault — a safe
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. game — wild animals

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