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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: vault · fine · land · cold · file · rush · pit · bulb

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. fine — high quality
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. file — a line of people
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. file — a tool
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pit — in a race
  12. vault — a safe
  13. pit — a hole
  14. cold — an illness
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. fine — all right
  17. bulb — for light
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. land — to come down
  20. rush — hurry
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. land — ground
  23. cold — not warm
  24. file — a document

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