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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 be taking the ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. tube — the underground
  3. vault — a safe
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. club — for golf
  7. object — to protest
  8. wound — an injury
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. club — for dancing
  11. bank — for money
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bank — for money
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. club — a group
  19. tube — a container
  20. object — a thing
  21. cold — an illness
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. object — an aim
  24. cold — not warm

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