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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. chest — of your body
  3. season — of the year
  4. tube — a container
  5. file — a tool
  6. craft — boats
  7. cap — a hat
  8. roll — a cake
  9. file — a line of people
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. cap — of ice
  12. file — a document
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. craft — a skill
  15. vault — a safe
  16. roll — a list
  17. chest — a box
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. season — in sport
  21. cap — a lid
  22. chest — of your body
  23. tube — the underground
  24. season — to add flavour

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