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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. face — to confront
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bass — low music
  6. shower — to wash
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. face — to point toward
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. dip — to sink
  11. roll — a cake
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. roll — a list
  14. shower — rain
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. vault — a safe
  17. saw — the tool
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — the fish
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. face — part of the head

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