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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. vault — a safe
  3. drill — the tool
  4. row — a line
  5. drill — army training
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. degree — an amount
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. row — to paddle
  12. drill — a practice
  13. plane — a tool
  14. stock — goods
  15. stock — shares
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. degree — from a university
  18. stand — to bear
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. cold — an illness
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. cold — not warm
  23. degree — temperature
  24. stock — a soup base

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