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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  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. ball — a round shape
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. file — a line of people
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. march — the month
  8. chest — of your body
  9. march — the month
  10. chest — a box
  11. chest — of your body
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a great time
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. rash — a series
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. toast — bread
  19. march — music
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. file — a tool
  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