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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — for dancing
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. file — a line of people
  7. ball — a great time
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. season — in sport
  10. file — a document
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. dip — to sink
  13. content — happy
  14. content — the amount
  15. club — a group
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. ball — a dance
  18. season — of the year
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. vault — a safe
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. file — a tool

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