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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. vault — a safe
  3. mug — a face
  4. fine — all right
  5. pop — to visit
  6. last — final
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. mug — to rob
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. last — to go on
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pop — soda
  14. fine — high quality
  15. club — for golf
  16. last — finally
  17. game — wild animals
  18. mug — a cup
  19. club — a group
  20. pop — music
  21. club — for dancing
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. game — a match
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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