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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: vault · club · pound · file · bowl · mate

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. 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. file — a document
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mate — a friend
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. vault — a safe
  9. club — a group
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. club — for dancing
  12. mate — to breed
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. club — for golf
  17. file — a line of people
  18. 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