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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. object — a thing
  4. file — a line of people
  5. sharp — clever
  6. wind — moving air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. file — a tool
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — the fruit
  13. file — a document
  14. wind — moving air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. object — to protest
  22. object — an aim
  23. bear — the animal
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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