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

Word bank: vault · present · pitcher · cold · file · lean · stick · firm

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lean — to bend
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. cold — an illness
  7. file — a line of people
  8. firm — a company
  9. file — a tool
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — a gift
  13. present — there
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. lean — thin
  20. file — a document
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. firm — steady
  23. firm — decided
  24. cold — not warm

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