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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. spring — a coil
  4. net — after costs
  5. spring — of water
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. drill — army training
  8. last — final
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. lean — thin
  11. last — to go on
  12. spring — the season
  13. vault — a safe
  14. craft — a skill
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. lean — to bend
  17. last — finally
  18. drill — the tool
  19. fine — all right
  20. net — in sport
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. net — for catching
  23. drill — a practice
  24. craft — boats

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