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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. degree — an amount
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. chair — a leader
  8. staff — employees
  9. fall — to drop
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. fall — the season
  12. degree — temperature
  13. vault — a safe
  14. pound — a weight
  15. staff — a stick
  16. fall — to drop
  17. rush — hurry
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. plane — a tool
  20. degree — from a university
  21. staff — employees
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. pound — for dogs

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