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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. club — for golf
  5. snap — to click
  6. club — for dancing
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. season — of the year
  9. deal — to handle
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. club — a group
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. vault — a safe
  15. drill — army training
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. drill — a practice
  20. drill — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. date — the fruit
  23. saw — the tool
  24. season — in sport

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