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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 120 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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. file — a document
  3. rule — a law
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. march — the month
  6. file — a tool
  7. stand — to bear
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. object — to protest
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. file — a line of people
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. degree — temperature
  14. vault — a safe
  15. object — a thing
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. march — music
  18. degree — an amount
  19. march — the month
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. pitch — completely
  22. object — an aim
  23. rule — government
  24. degree — from a university

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