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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. track — to keep track
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. file — a line of people
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. track — a path
  9. bat — the animal
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. craft — a skill
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bound — obliged
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. file — a tool
  16. craft — boats
  17. bound — tied together
  18. track — a song
  19. pit — in a race
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. file — a document
  22. bound — certain
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — a safe

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