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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. file — a document
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. present — the time now
  5. present — a gift
  6. can — to be able to
  7. branch — a division
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. present — there
  12. chest — of your body
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. vault — a safe
  15. can — a tin
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. chest — a box
  18. file — a tool
  19. chest — of your body
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. can — a tin

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