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

Word bank: plane · mate · cell · chair · vault · bulb · key · face

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. key — for a lock
  3. bulb — for light
  4. mate — a friend
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. bulb — for light
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. cell — a phone
  10. key — in music
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. cell — in biology
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. key — the most important part
  16. face — to confront
  17. vault — a safe
  18. face — to point toward
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. mate — to breed
  22. face — part of the head
  23. mate — a partner
  24. plane — in geometry

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