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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. wind — moving air
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. vault — a safe
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. fine — high quality
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. root — of a word
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. root — the cause
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — for catching
  17. root — of a plant
  18. wind — moving air
  19. fine — all right
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. plane — a tool

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