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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. track — to keep track
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. track — a path
  6. stock — goods
  7. tear — from crying
  8. game — a match
  9. land — to come down
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. tear — to rip
  12. land — ground
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. tear — from crying
  16. game — wild animals
  17. land — a country
  18. vault — a safe
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. track — a song
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. foot — a measure

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