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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pass — a permit
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. club — for dancing
  12. vault — a safe
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. bat — the animal
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. prune — to trim
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. row — a line
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. club — a group
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. row — to paddle

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