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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. swing — music
  4. club — for golf
  5. swing — to play on
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. kid — to tease
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. vault — a safe
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. club — for dancing
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. ground — the earth
  17. swing — in golf
  18. club — a group
  19. plane — a tool
  20. kid — child
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. date — the fruit
  24. ground — crushed

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