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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 120 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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. season — in sport
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. firm — decided
  7. firm — steady
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. file — a tool
  11. staff — a stick
  12. firm — a company
  13. game — wild animals
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — employees
  16. file — a document
  17. vault — a safe
  18. game — a match
  19. file — a line of people
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. fine — high quality
  23. deal — to handle
  24. season — of the year

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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