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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: cell · safe · bat · cold · file · perch · vault · march

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. cold — not warm
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. march — the month
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. file — a line of people
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. perch — the fish
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. cold — an illness
  13. bat — the animal
  14. march — the month
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. cell — in biology
  17. file — a tool
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. vault — a safe
  20. march — music
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cell — a phone
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. perch — for a bird

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