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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. vault — a safe
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. race — a contest
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. roll — a list
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. club — a group
  10. cell — a phone
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. cell — in biology
  16. club — for dancing
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. track — to keep track
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. track — a song
  21. race — the arms race
  22. roll — a cake
  23. race — humankind
  24. track — a path

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