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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. mate — a friend
  4. file — a line of people
  5. mate — a partner
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. field — for sport
  8. vault — a safe
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. file — a document
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. mate — to breed
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. field — farmland
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. field — a subject
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. chip — to eat
  22. chip — for betting
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. file — a tool

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