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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. bore — to tire
  5. shower — to wash
  6. shower — rain
  7. fine — all right
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. plane — a tool
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. bore — to drill
  20. sharp — clever
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. prune — to trim
  23. vault — a safe
  24. prune — to trim

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