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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. ball — a great time
  5. cold — not warm
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. cap — of ice
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. file — a line of people
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. cell — a phone
  13. fall — the season
  14. vault — a safe
  15. cell — in biology
  16. fall — to drop
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. fall — to drop
  21. lie — to recline
  22. cap — a hat
  23. file — a tool
  24. cap — a lid

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