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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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. wax — to grow
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. firm — steady
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mine — for digging
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. pitch — completely
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. vault — a safe
  19. face — to point toward
  20. firm — a company
  21. face — to confront
  22. sharp — clever
  23. face — part of the head
  24. sharp — with an edge

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