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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. firm — steady
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. charge — a price
  11. firm — a company
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. last — final
  16. firm — decided
  17. charge — in control
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. last — finally
  20. last — to go on
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. vault — a safe
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. charge — electricity

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