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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. cold — an illness
  3. file — a line of people
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. file — a document
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. last — finally
  8. last — to go on
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. chip — to eat
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mug — to rob
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. cold — not warm
  16. chip — for betting
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. last — final
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. mug — a face
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. vault — a safe

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