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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 walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. file — a tool
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bat — the animal
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — a practice
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. drill — army training
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. vault — a safe
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. file — a document
  24. mine — for digging

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