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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 120 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 rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. cell — a phone
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. fall — to drop
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. file — a line of people
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. club — for golf
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. file — a document
  16. club — a group
  17. fall — the season
  18. club — for dancing
  19. cell — in biology
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. vault — a safe
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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