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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. suit — in cards
  3. net — in sport
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. suit — clothes
  6. vault — a safe
  7. last — to go on
  8. object — an aim
  9. game — wild animals
  10. rash — a series
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. rash — hasty
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — after costs
  16. object — to protest
  17. wind — moving air
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. suit — to fit
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. object — a thing
  22. last — finally
  23. last — final
  24. game — a match

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