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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. club — a group
  3. branch — a division
  4. pop — music
  5. fall — to drop
  6. club — for dancing
  7. pop — soda
  8. file — a line of people
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. fall — the season
  12. file — a tool
  13. fine — all right
  14. club — for golf
  15. mark — a trace
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. fall — to drop
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. file — a document
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. vault — a safe
  24. fine — high quality

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