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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. file — a document
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — not warm
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. bank — for money
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. stock — shares
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. bank — for money
  12. row — to paddle
  13. march — the month
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. file — a line of people
  17. march — the month
  18. row — a line
  19. march — music
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. file — a tool
  22. stock — goods
  23. bank — of a river
  24. cold — an illness

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