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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. bank — for money
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. wind — moving air
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. bank — of a river
  8. pitch — completely
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — what's left
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. rest — a break
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. bank — for money
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. wind — moving air
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a document
  23. file — a tool
  24. mouse — for a computer

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