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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 116 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mate — to breed
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. file — a document
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. mate — a friend
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. stand — to bear
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. file — a tool
  13. plane — a tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. vault — a safe
  17. mate — a partner
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. row — a line
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mug — a face
  23. wind — moving air
  24. row — to paddle

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