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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. dip — to sink
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. vault — a safe
  6. row — a line
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. file — a document
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. row — to paddle
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. firm — a company
  16. firm — steady
  17. game — a match
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. game — wild animals

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