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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. fine — all right
  3. object — a thing
  4. vault — a safe
  5. swing — music
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. object — to protest
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. face — to confront
  10. object — an aim
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. game — a match
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. last — finally
  15. face — part of the head
  16. last — final
  17. face — to point toward
  18. sharp — clever
  19. fine — high quality
  20. game — wild animals
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. swing — to play on
  23. last — to go on
  24. swing — in golf

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