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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. mate — a partner
  4. club — for dancing
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. current — of water
  7. club — a group
  8. vault — a safe
  9. band — a music group
  10. mate — to breed
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chair — a leader
  17. current — electric
  18. band — a ring
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. club — for golf
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. current — happening now
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. nail — for a hammer

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