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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 120 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. club — for dancing
  3. tube — the underground
  4. staff — employees
  5. rule — a law
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rule — government
  8. ball — a dance
  9. club — for golf
  10. tube — a container
  11. file — a tool
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. club — a group
  14. staff — a stick
  15. file — a line of people
  16. pop — to visit
  17. ball — a great time
  18. pop — soda
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. vault — a safe
  21. file — a document
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. staff — employees

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