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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. kid — child
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. prune — to trim
  7. club — for golf
  8. kid — to tease
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. prune — to trim
  12. vault — a safe
  13. rush — hurry
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. club — a group
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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