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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. file — a document
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. file — a tool
  9. staff — a stick
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — of a river
  12. file — a line of people
  13. bass — the fish
  14. cold — not warm
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. staff — employees
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. staff — employees
  20. cold — an illness
  21. bass — low music
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. bank — for money

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