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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. net — after costs
  7. prune — to trim
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. vault — a safe
  13. net — for catching
  14. mine — for digging
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — hasty
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. net — in sport
  22. plane — a tool
  23. prune — to trim
  24. plane — an aircraft

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