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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. last — finally
  4. bark — to shout
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. content — happy
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. vault — a safe
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. last — to go on
  14. plane — a tool
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. fine — all right
  21. content — the amount
  22. last — final
  23. fine — high quality
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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