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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. current — electric
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. vault — a safe
  7. last — finally
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bass — low music
  12. prune — to trim
  13. lie — to recline
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chest — of your body
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. bass — the fish
  18. prune — to trim
  19. current — of water
  20. current — happening now
  21. last — to go on
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. last — final
  24. chest — a box

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