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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — clever
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. deal — to handle
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. file — a line of people
  8. fine — all right
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. file — a document
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. spell — magic
  13. fine — high quality
  14. spell — a short time
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rock — music
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. spell — letters
  22. file — a tool
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. rock — to move gently

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