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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.

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

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. spell — magic
  3. fall — to drop
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a document
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. field — a subject
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. cue — for pool
  13. spell — letters
  14. cue — a signal
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — farmland
  18. fall — the season
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cue — a hint
  22. spell — a short time
  23. file — a tool
  24. wave — of the sea

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