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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. vault — a safe
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. bat — the animal
  11. race — a contest
  12. chip — to eat
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. chip — for betting
  15. file — a document
  16. race — the arms race
  17. race — humankind
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. file — a line of people
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. file — a tool

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