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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  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. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. cue — a hint
  3. cue — for pool
  4. fall — the season
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bear — the animal
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. row — to paddle
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a document
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. lean — thin
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. lean — to bend
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bear — the animal
  18. fall — to drop
  19. wind — moving air
  20. file — a line of people
  21. cue — a signal
  22. wind — moving air
  23. row — a line
  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