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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. drill — the tool
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. drill — army training
  6. rash — hasty
  7. vault — a safe
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. drill — a practice
  11. key — in music
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. wax — to grow
  18. bat — the animal
  19. firm — decided
  20. key — for a lock
  21. firm — a company
  22. key — the most important part
  23. rash — a series
  24. wax — in the ear

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