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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 116 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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. mark — a grade
  3. ball — a great time
  4. band — a music group
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. pop — soda
  7. mark — a trace
  8. pop — music
  9. file — a tool
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. pop — to visit
  14. ball — a dance
  15. band — a ring
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. file — a document
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. saw — the tool
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. vault — a safe
  23. saw — the tool
  24. file — a line of people

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