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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: face · content · bat · hide · plane · rush · vault · fall

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. rush — hurry
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. content — happy
  9. vault — a safe
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — the animal
  12. face — part of the head
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. face — to confront
  16. plane — a tool
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. content — the amount
  22. fall — the season
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. face — to point toward

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