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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. vault — a safe
  3. spring — of water
  4. fork — in a road
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. capital — money
  10. spring — a coil
  11. firm — decided
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. firm — steady
  15. cold — not warm
  16. capital — a city
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cold — an illness
  20. spring — the season
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. wake — a trail
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. firm — a company

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