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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 116 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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. band — a music group
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. club — a group
  7. last — finally
  8. band — a ring
  9. rule — government
  10. club — for dancing
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. club — for golf
  13. snap — to click
  14. rule — a law
  15. last — final
  16. kid — to tease
  17. vault — a safe
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cell — a phone
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. last — to go on

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