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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. chest — of your body
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. vault — a safe
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. march — the month
  10. march — the month
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pound — a weight
  14. file — a tool
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kick — in football
  17. march — music
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. chest — of your body
  21. file — a document
  22. chest — a box
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. pound — to hit hard

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