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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. file — a tool
  4. rash — a series
  5. file — a line of people
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. mark — a grade
  8. fine — high quality
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. mark — a trace
  14. sharp — clever
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. rash — hasty
  17. game — wild animals
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. game — a match
  21. file — a document
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. vault — a safe
  24. deal — to handle

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