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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. date — the fruit
  3. firm — a company
  4. firm — steady
  5. vault — a safe
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. sharp — clever
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. lean — thin
  15. mine — for digging
  16. lean — to bend
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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