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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: sharp · chest · pit · file · vault · nail

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. file — a tool
  3. chest — of your body
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. chest — of your body
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. file — a line of people
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — clever
  11. pit — a hole
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. pit — in a race
  14. chest — a box
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. file — a document
  18. pit — a fruit stone

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