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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: ruler · firm · board · vault · last · racket · bat · file

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. vault — a safe
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. board — to get on
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. firm — steady
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. bat — the animal
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. firm — a company
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a tool
  18. last — to go on
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. last — final
  21. file — a line of people
  22. board — a committee
  23. firm — decided
  24. racket — a loud noise

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