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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 124 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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. spell — magic
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of law
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fine — high quality
  7. cap — a hat
  8. file — a document
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. fine — all right
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. file — a tool
  13. vault — a safe
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. court — of a king
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. rush — hurry
  19. spell — letters
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cap — a lid
  24. spell — a short time

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