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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. mine — for digging
  3. club — for dancing
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. rash — a series
  7. vault — a safe
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. club — a group
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wake — a trail
  20. club — for golf
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mate — to breed
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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