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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. file — a line of people
  3. land — ground
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. file — a document
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. drill — the tool
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. land — to come down
  11. file — a tool
  12. court — of law
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. drill — army training
  15. court — for sport
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — happy
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. vault — a safe
  22. land — a country
  23. court — of a king
  24. drill — a practice

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