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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. stem — to come from
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. spell — letters
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. bore — to tire
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — high quality
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. spell — a short time
  13. dip — to sink
  14. spell — magic
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. vault — a safe
  17. rush — hurry
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. file — a line of people
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. bore — to drill
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. file — a document

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