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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. file — a document
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. band — a ring
  6. file — a line of people
  7. key — for a lock
  8. bass — low music
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. vault — a safe
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. key — the most important part
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. fall — to drop
  17. key — in music
  18. bass — the fish
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. fall — the season
  24. file — a tool

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