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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. stem — to come from
  8. perch — the fish
  9. board — a committee
  10. vault — a safe
  11. kid — child
  12. spring — the season
  13. mark — a trace
  14. board — to get on
  15. sharp — clever
  16. kid — to tease
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. mark — a grade
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — of water

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