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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. file — a tool
  4. fine — high quality
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. fine — all right
  10. vault — a safe
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. file — a line of people
  13. capital — a city
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. capital — money
  17. file — a document
  18. vault — an arched ceiling

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