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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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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: pit · chest · current · vault · cabinet · mate · fan · file

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. 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 — an arched ceiling
  2. chest — of your body
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. current — happening now
  8. chest — a box
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. current — electric
  11. pit — a hole
  12. mate — a friend
  13. pit — in a race
  14. file — a document
  15. mate — a partner
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. file — a line of people
  19. mate — to breed
  20. file — a tool
  21. vault — a safe
  22. current — of water
  23. chest — of your body
  24. 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