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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. track — to keep track
  3. mate — a partner
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. file — a document
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. file — a tool
  8. degree — from a university
  9. degree — temperature
  10. sharp — clever
  11. file — a line of people
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. chip — for betting
  16. track — a path
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. mate — a friend
  19. degree — an amount
  20. chip — to eat
  21. track — a song
  22. mate — to breed
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. vault — a safe

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