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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. bass — low music
  3. file — a line of people
  4. vault — a safe
  5. bass — the fish
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. lean — thin
  8. cap — a lid
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lean — to bend
  13. cold — not warm
  14. file — a tool
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. bound — tied together
  17. track — a path
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cap — of ice
  20. bound — obliged
  21. track — to keep track
  22. cap — a hat
  23. bound — certain
  24. track — a song

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