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

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bound — tied together
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. kid — child
  11. file — a document
  12. kid — to tease
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bound — certain
  18. file — a line of people
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. vault — a safe
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. bound — obliged
  24. fan — to cool the air

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