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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: row · object · vault · tear · cue · file

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — an aim
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. tear — from crying
  5. row — a line
  6. cue — a hint
  7. row — to paddle
  8. vault — a safe
  9. cue — for pool
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. tear — to rip
  12. cue — a signal
  13. tear — from crying
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a line of people
  16. object — a thing
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. file — a tool

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