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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. swing — in golf
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cold — not warm
  6. swing — to play on
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. swing — music
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. current — happening now
  12. current — of water
  13. cold — an illness
  14. bark — to shout
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. club — a group
  17. current — electric
  18. club — for golf
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. snap — to click
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. club — for dancing

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