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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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Word bank
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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: file · fine · club · race · bulb · vault · bat · sharp

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. club — for dancing
  3. file — a line of people
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. bulb — for light
  7. race — a contest
  8. sharp — clever
  9. race — the arms race
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bulb — for light
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. race — humankind
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. file — a tool
  19. club — for golf
  20. vault — a safe
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. fine — all right
  23. file — a document
  24. club — a group

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