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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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. mine — belonging to me
  4. scale — in music
  5. fine — high quality
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. scale — size or range
  8. mine — for digging
  9. fork — in a road
  10. game — a match
  11. file — a tool
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. file — a line of people
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. game — wild animals
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. fine — all right
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. fork — a garden tool

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