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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. firm — a company
  3. mine — for digging
  4. net — after costs
  5. spring — of water
  6. date — the fruit
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. spring — the season
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. firm — steady
  14. vault — a safe
  15. key — for a lock
  16. net — for catching
  17. key — in music
  18. net — in sport
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. key — the most important part
  24. spring — a coil

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