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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. cold — an illness
  4. sharp — clever
  5. row — a line
  6. charge — in control
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a tool
  10. vault — a safe
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. row — to paddle
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. charge — a price
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. charge — electricity
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — in cards
  24. cold — not warm

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