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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. track — a path
  4. fall — to drop
  5. track — a song
  6. fall — the season
  7. file — a tool
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — a tin
  10. bat — the animal
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a document
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. fall — to drop
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. track — to keep track
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. vault — a safe
  20. can — to be able to
  21. snap — to click
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bat — in an idiom

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