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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. mark — a trace
  3. hand — in cards
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wake — a trail
  6. fall — to drop
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. mark — a grade
  14. degree — from a university
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. degree — temperature
  17. degree — an amount
  18. saw — the tool
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. hand — help
  24. vault — a safe

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