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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 116 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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. land — ground
  3. last — finally
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. swing — to play on
  7. file — a line of people
  8. land — a country
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. fall — the season
  12. fall — to drop
  13. swing — in golf
  14. file — a document
  15. last — to go on
  16. file — a tool
  17. swing — music
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. last — final
  20. snap — to click
  21. fall — to drop
  22. vault — a safe
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. land — to come down

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