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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 124 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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. file — a tool
  4. root — of a plant
  5. saw — the tool
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. vault — a safe
  9. bat — the animal
  10. date — the fruit
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. file — a line of people
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. file — a document
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. root — the cause
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. root — of a word
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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