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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. degree — an amount
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. bound — obliged
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — from a university
  8. wind — moving air
  9. file — a tool
  10. board — a committee
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — tied together
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. shower — to wash
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. board — to get on
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — rain
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. file — a line of people
  24. vault — a safe

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