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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: vault · squash · cell · firm · pit · stick · ruler · mug

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. firm — steady
  3. cell — a phone
  4. vault — a safe
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. mug — to rob
  10. firm — a company
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. pit — a hole
  13. mug — a face
  14. pit — in a race
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. squash — to crush
  18. cell — in biology
  19. mug — a cup
  20. squash — the sport
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. firm — decided
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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