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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. row — a line
  3. net — after costs
  4. land — to come down
  5. game — wild animals
  6. row — to paddle
  7. key — for a lock
  8. key — the most important part
  9. vault — a safe
  10. object — to protest
  11. firm — steady
  12. net — for catching
  13. land — ground
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. land — a country
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. object — an aim
  19. key — in music
  20. object — a thing
  21. firm — decided
  22. game — a match
  23. firm — a company
  24. net — in sport

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