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

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. mine — for digging
  5. club — for dancing
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. last — to go on
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. club — a group
  11. club — for golf
  12. vault — a safe
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. last — finally
  15. stand — to bear
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. saw — the tool
  19. last — final
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. saw — the tool
  24. cabinet — ministers

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