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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. field — a subject
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — to drop
  5. squash — the sport
  6. squash — to crush
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. field — farmland
  9. firm — decided
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. fall — the season
  13. firm — a company
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. row — to paddle
  17. cell — in biology
  18. field — for sport
  19. cell — a phone
  20. row — a line
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. firm — steady
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. row — a quarrel

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