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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. branch — a division
  5. track — to keep track
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. mate — to breed
  9. pop — to visit
  10. mate — a partner
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. track — a song
  13. pop — soda
  14. track — a path
  15. pop — music
  16. file — a document
  17. mate — a friend
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a tool
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. vault — a safe
  24. branch — of a bank

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