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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 116 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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. staff — a stick
  3. field — a subject
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. snap — to click
  8. pound — a weight
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. land — a country
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. land — to come down
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. staff — employees
  16. land — ground
  17. staff — employees
  18. vault — a safe
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. field — farmland
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. field — for sport
  24. ruler — for measuring

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