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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. file — a tool
  5. key — the most important part
  6. bank — for money
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — a box
  10. shower — rain
  11. bank — of a river
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bass — the fish
  14. vault — a safe
  15. bass — low music
  16. key — in music
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bank — for money
  20. shower — to wash
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. key — for a lock
  23. chest — of your body
  24. file — a document

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