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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: plane · ground · rush · sharp · vault · bat · perch · saw

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. ground — crushed
  3. bat — the animal
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. saw — the tool
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — clever
  12. ground — the earth
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. ground — a position
  15. plane — a tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. rush — hurry
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. saw — the tool
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. perch — the fish
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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