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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. chair — a leader
  4. scale — size or range
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. file — a tool
  7. file — a document
  8. scale — in music
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. fine — high quality
  14. vault — a safe
  15. fall — to drop
  16. lean — to bend
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. lean — thin
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. fall — the season
  22. file — a line of people
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fine — all right

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