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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  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. hand — in cards
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. root — the cause
  4. last — finally
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. club — for dancing
  7. hand — help
  8. vault — a safe
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. last — final
  11. root — of a word
  12. root — of a plant
  13. cold — an illness
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. last — to go on
  17. cold — not warm
  18. club — for golf
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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