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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. staff — employees
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitch — completely
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. vault — a safe
  8. mine — for digging
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. staff — employees
  14. wake — a trail
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. staff — a stick
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. vault — an arched ceiling

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