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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. stem — to come from
  4. mate — a friend
  5. firm — decided
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. firm — a company
  8. wind — moving air
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. vault — a safe
  12. firm — steady
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. mate — to breed
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — tied together
  17. wake — a trail
  18. mate — a partner
  19. file — a line of people
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. bound — certain
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. file — a tool
  24. wind — moving air

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