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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 116 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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. rest — what's left
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. vault — a safe
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. file — a line of people
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. prune — to trim
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. rest — what's left
  17. file — a document
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rest — a break
  20. prune — to trim
  21. cold — an illness
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. cold — not warm

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