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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. wind — moving air
  3. drill — a practice
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. scale — size or range
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. club — for golf
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. club — a group
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. season — of the year
  15. vault — a safe
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mate — a partner
  18. scale — in music
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. club — for dancing
  21. bat — the animal
  22. drill — army training
  23. mate — to breed
  24. drill — the tool

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