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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: ground · perch · file · saw · cue · mine · mouse · vault

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. file — a document
  5. ground — a position
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. cue — a hint
  11. ground — the earth
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. ground — crushed
  14. mine — for digging
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. perch — the fish
  17. file — a tool
  18. cue — a signal
  19. vault — a safe
  20. cue — for pool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. file — a line of people
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — for a computer

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