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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. file — a line of people
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. clip — a video
  6. drill — the tool
  7. rock — music
  8. clip — for paper
  9. drill — army training
  10. club — for golf
  11. face — to point toward
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. branch — a division
  14. file — a tool
  15. club — for dancing
  16. face — to confront
  17. club — a group
  18. rock — a stone
  19. clip — to cut
  20. drill — a practice
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. file — a document
  24. face — part of the head

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