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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: cold · fine · dip · fall · key · firm · wave · vault

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. key — for a lock
  3. fine — all right
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. firm — a company
  7. fall — the season
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. fine — high quality
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. dip — to sink
  12. vault — a safe
  13. cold — an illness
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. firm — decided
  16. firm — steady
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. key — in music
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. key — the most important part
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. cold — not warm
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. fine — a penalty

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