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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. file — a document
  3. perch — the fish
  4. pitch — completely
  5. file — a tool
  6. vault — a safe
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. can — to be able to
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. last — finally
  12. can — a tin
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. shower — to wash
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. last — final
  17. can — a tin
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bore — to drill
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. shower — rain
  24. file — a line of people

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