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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. last — finally
  4. degree — an amount
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. rule — government
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. last — to go on
  10. game — a match
  11. vault — a safe
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rule — a law
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. degree — temperature
  18. last — final
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — from crying
  21. prune — to trim
  22. game — wild animals
  23. degree — from a university
  24. tear — to rip

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