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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. object — to protest
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — after costs
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. prune — to trim
  7. vault — a safe
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. net — for catching
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. hand — help
  16. fine — high quality
  17. object — an aim
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. object — a thing
  20. prune — to trim
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. fine — all right
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. fine — a penalty

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