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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. file — a document
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. vault — a safe
  5. file — a tool
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. lean — thin
  8. pop — to visit
  9. lean — to bend
  10. hand — help
  11. pop — soda
  12. present — there
  13. file — a line of people
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. pop — music
  17. net — for catching
  18. hand — in cards
  19. present — the time now
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — after costs
  23. present — a gift
  24. drill — army training

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