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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. chair — a leader
  3. stem — to come from
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. spell — letters
  6. pop — soda
  7. spell — a short time
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. rush — hurry
  10. spell — magic
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. bear — the animal
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. pop — to visit
  17. vault — a safe
  18. cell — in biology
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. bear — the animal
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. cell — a phone
  24. pop — music

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