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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. spring — the season
  3. file — a tool
  4. field — a subject
  5. file — a line of people
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. rock — a stone
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. spring — of water
  13. field — for sport
  14. rock — music
  15. file — a document
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. field — farmland
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. spring — a coil
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. calf — a young animal

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