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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: shower · vault · dip · net · file · track · spell · sharp

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. sharp — clever
  4. file — a line of people
  5. net — for catching
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. net — after costs
  8. spell — letters
  9. shower — to wash
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. file — a document
  12. net — in sport
  13. track — a path
  14. vault — a safe
  15. file — a tool
  16. dip — to sink
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. track — to keep track
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. shower — rain
  22. spell — a short time
  23. track — a song
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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