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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. file — a tool
  4. face — to confront
  5. bank — for money
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. pitch — completely
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to point toward
  11. cold — not warm
  12. vault — a safe
  13. file — a document
  14. bank — of a river
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. bank — for money
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — hurry
  19. cold — an illness
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bore — to tire
  23. file — a line of people
  24. pitch — a sports field

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