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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. shower — to wash
  3. vault — a safe
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. bear — the animal
  7. file — a line of people
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. shower — rain
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. kid — to tease
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. file — a document
  19. bear — the animal
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. kid — child
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mine — for digging
  24. fan — to cool the air

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