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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. club — for dancing
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. club — for golf
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. shower — to wash
  9. content — the amount
  10. root — of a word
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. root — the cause
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. content — happy
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. rush — hurry
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. root — of a plant
  23. vault — a safe
  24. shower — rain

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