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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 120 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. file — a tool
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. firm — a company
  6. pop — music
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. pop — to visit
  9. shower — to wash
  10. pop — soda
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. shower — rain
  13. firm — steady
  14. file — a line of people
  15. pit — in a race
  16. firm — decided
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. vault — a safe
  21. file — a document
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. wake — a trail
  24. dip — to sink

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