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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. file — a tool
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. pop — music
  5. file — a line of people
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. pop — to visit
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. lie — to recline
  12. roll — a cake
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. pop — soda
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. sharp — clever
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. roll — a list
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. snap — to click
  23. vault — a safe
  24. file — a document

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