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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. 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. mate — to breed
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. vault — a safe
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rash — hasty
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. hand — help
  11. file — a line of people
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. file — a document
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. dip — to sink
  18. mate — a friend
  19. file — a tool
  20. mate — a partner
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. rash — a series
  24. 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