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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. firm — a company
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — clever
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. file — a document
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. band — a music group
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. stock — goods
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. file — a tool
  16. firm — steady
  17. firm — decided
  18. vault — a safe
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bat — the animal
  22. band — a ring
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stock — shares

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