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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. file — a document
  3. current — of water
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. clip — for paper
  6. squash — to crush
  7. bank — for money
  8. field — for sport
  9. ground — a position
  10. file — a line of people
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. bank — for money
  13. file — a tool
  14. ground — crushed
  15. clip — to cut
  16. bank — of a river
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. ground — the earth
  19. current — electric
  20. squash — the sport
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — a subject
  23. current — happening now
  24. clip — a video

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