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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. club — for golf
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. rock — music
  6. club — for dancing
  7. key — in music
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. tube — the underground
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. vault — a safe
  13. key — the most important part
  14. key — for a lock
  15. cold — an illness
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. cold — not warm
  20. rock — a stone
  21. tube — a container
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. club — a group

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