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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  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. club — for dancing
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cue — for pool
  6. field — for sport
  7. cue — a hint
  8. club — for golf
  9. bank — of a river
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. net — after costs
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — not warm
  14. field — a subject
  15. net — for catching
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. net — in sport
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. vault — a safe
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — for money
  22. field — farmland
  23. bowl — a football final
  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