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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 120 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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. file — a line of people
  3. key — for a lock
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. file — a document
  6. wind — moving air
  7. key — in music
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. ground — crushed
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. ground — a position
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. squash — to crush
  15. vault — a safe
  16. squash — the sport
  17. ground — the earth
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. saw — the tool
  20. file — a tool
  21. key — the most important part
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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