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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. firm — decided
  3. shower — rain
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. file — a tool
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. last — finally
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. firm — a company
  11. clip — for paper
  12. vault — a safe
  13. file — a document
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. shower — to wash
  16. mate — a partner
  17. clip — a video
  18. file — a line of people
  19. last — to go on
  20. firm — steady
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. clip — to cut
  23. last — final
  24. mate — a friend

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