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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. rush — hurry
  3. firm — a company
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. stem — to come from
  7. file — a tool
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. firm — decided
  11. bat — the animal
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — a trail
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. file — a line of people
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. firm — steady
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. file — a document
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. stem — a stem cell

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