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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. file — a line of people
  3. present — a gift
  4. present — the time now
  5. can — a tin
  6. field — farmland
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. pop — soda
  9. field — for sport
  10. can — a tin
  11. pop — to visit
  12. field — a subject
  13. fine — all right
  14. bass — low music
  15. present — there
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. fine — high quality
  20. vault — a safe
  21. file — a tool
  22. bass — the fish
  23. file — a document
  24. pop — music

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