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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: can · wake · file · hide · rest · vault · pit · cold

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. file — a document
  4. pit — in a race
  5. rest — what's left
  6. can — to be able to
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. vault — a safe
  10. rest — a break
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. can — a tin
  13. pit — a hole
  14. rest — what's left
  15. wake — a trail
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. file — a line of people
  18. can — a tin
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. cold — not warm
  24. file — a tool

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