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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 116 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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. present — a gift
  4. shower — to wash
  5. fall — the season
  6. march — the month
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. vault — a safe
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. shower — rain
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. deal — to handle
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. present — there
  15. dip — to sink
  16. march — the month
  17. fall — to drop
  18. club — a group
  19. club — for dancing
  20. fall — to drop
  21. present — the time now
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. march — music
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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