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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: club · row · object · vault · dip · firm · ground · pitch

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. club — for golf
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. club — a group
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. object — to protest
  8. object — a thing
  9. ground — a position
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. ground — the earth
  12. firm — decided
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. pitch — completely
  15. vault — a safe
  16. row — a line
  17. dip — to sink
  18. firm — steady
  19. club — for dancing
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. object — an aim
  22. ground — crushed
  23. row — to paddle
  24. dip — a sauce

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