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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. file — a line of people
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. race — the arms race
  5. cap — a hat
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. content — happy
  8. race — a contest
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. chest — of your body
  11. file — a document
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. chest — a box
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. race — humankind
  18. cap — a lid
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. cap — of ice
  22. content — the amount
  23. vault — a safe
  24. snap — to click

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