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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. rash — hasty
  3. file — a tool
  4. season — of the year
  5. file — a line of people
  6. vault — a safe
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bass — low music
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. season — in sport
  15. file — a document
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. sharp — clever
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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