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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. vault — a safe
  7. capital — money
  8. capital — a city
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — a position
  11. key — in music
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. ground — crushed
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. key — for a lock
  17. fine — high quality
  18. hand — help
  19. key — the most important part
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. plane — a tool
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. fine — all right

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