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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. bound — tied together
  3. chest — of your body
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. chest — of your body
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. kick — in football
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. track — a path
  12. track — a song
  13. chest — a box
  14. bound — certain
  15. track — to keep track
  16. file — a tool
  17. stock — shares
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. stock — goods
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. file — a line of people
  23. vault — a safe
  24. bound — obliged

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