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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. file — a tool
  4. board — a committee
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. club — for golf
  7. cell — in biology
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. club — a group
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cap — a hat
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — letters
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a lid
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. vault — a safe
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. board — to get on
  22. spell — a short time
  23. club — for dancing
  24. file — a line of people

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