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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. file — a tool
  3. file — a document
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. current — of water
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. file — a line of people
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. vault — a safe
  10. tear — to rip
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. rock — music
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. kick — in football
  17. current — happening now
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. tear — from crying
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. current — electric
  23. tear — from crying
  24. rock — a stone

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