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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 116 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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. firm — decided
  3. cold — not warm
  4. swing — in golf
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. kick — in football
  7. pit — a hole
  8. press — newspapers
  9. swing — to play on
  10. swing — music
  11. cold — an illness
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. firm — a company
  14. firm — steady
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. press — a publisher
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. press — to push
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. pit — in a race
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — exactly

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