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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. vault — a safe
  3. land — to come down
  4. firm — a company
  5. lean — thin
  6. scale — in music
  7. firm — steady
  8. firm — decided
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. scale — size or range
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. fall — the season
  15. date — the fruit
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. land — ground
  19. lean — to bend
  20. land — a country
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — to drop
  23. hand — in cards
  24. date — on the calendar

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