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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. snap — to click
  4. bulb — for light
  5. vault — a safe
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. club — for golf
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. last — final
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. club — for dancing
  13. last — to go on
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. bulb — for light
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. club — a group
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. mine — for digging
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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