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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. chair — a leader
  5. bark — to shout
  6. vault — a safe
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. bulb — for light
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. degree — temperature
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. cell — a phone
  13. row — a line
  14. cell — in biology
  15. file — a tool
  16. degree — from a university
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bulb — for light
  19. row — to paddle
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. degree — an amount

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