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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 116 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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. firm — steady
  3. game — wild animals
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. row — a line
  6. game — a match
  7. deal — to handle
  8. firm — decided
  9. row — to paddle
  10. rush — hurry
  11. file — a document
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. kick — in football
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. file — a line of people
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. vault — a safe
  22. file — a tool
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. rush — a thrill

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