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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. vault — a safe
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — for digging
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cell — in biology
  9. plane — a tool
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. cell — a phone
  12. saw — the tool
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. net — for catching
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. band — a ring
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — after costs
  24. band — a music group

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