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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. vault — a safe
  3. present — there
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. file — a tool
  6. track — a path
  7. present — the time now
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. net — for catching
  10. kick — in football
  11. net — in sport
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a document
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. net — after costs
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. present — a gift
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. track — a song
  22. track — to keep track
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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