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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 120 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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. firm — decided
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a music group
  5. vault — a safe
  6. file — a document
  7. wind — moving air
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. file — a tool
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. tear — from crying
  13. firm — steady
  14. wind — moving air
  15. firm — a company
  16. craft — boats
  17. craft — a skill
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. kick — in football
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

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