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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. file — a document
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. rest — what's left
  9. field — for sport
  10. saw — the tool
  11. cell — a phone
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. cell — in biology
  16. file — a tool
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. rest — a break
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. file — a line of people
  21. vault — a safe
  22. field — farmland
  23. rest — what's left
  24. field — a subject

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