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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 was locked up in a ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. file — a tool
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. track — to keep track
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. file — a document
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. march — music
  15. vault — a safe
  16. cell — a phone
  17. track — a song
  18. cell — in biology
  19. march — the month
  20. file — a line of people
  21. scale — in music
  22. track — a path
  23. scale — size or range
  24. march — the month

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