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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. vault — a safe
  3. foot — a measure
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. file — a line of people
  6. file — a document
  7. clip — to cut
  8. rash — hasty
  9. file — a tool
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. mug — a face
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mug — to rob
  18. clip — for paper
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. clip — a video
  22. rash — a series
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. cabinet — ministers

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