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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 120 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. firm — a company
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. firm — decided
  8. root — the cause
  9. fall — to drop
  10. row — to paddle
  11. vault — a safe
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. root — of a word
  16. wind — moving air
  17. firm — steady
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. wind — moving air
  20. row — a line
  21. fall — to drop
  22. root — of a plant
  23. sharp — clever
  24. row — a quarrel

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