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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. file — a document
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. vault — a safe
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. pit — in a race
  8. season — in sport
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pit — a hole
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. file — a tool
  13. bulb — for light
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. stand — to bear
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. file — a line of people
  20. bulb — for light
  21. season — of the year
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. mine — an explosive

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