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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. file — a line of people
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bat — the animal
  5. tear — to rip
  6. track — a path
  7. spring — the season
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a tool
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. track — a song
  13. tear — from crying
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. vault — a safe
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. track — to keep track
  18. spring — of water
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. spring — a coil
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. tear — from crying
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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