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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. mine — for digging
  3. field — a subject
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. stand — to bear
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. file — a line of people
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. file — a tool
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. fine — all right
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. track — to keep track
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. fine — high quality
  19. track — a path
  20. track — a song
  21. field — for sport
  22. vault — a safe
  23. field — farmland
  24. mine — an explosive

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