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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. spring — a coil
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. charge — electricity
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. charge — a price
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. vault — a safe
  9. rule — government
  10. spring — the season
  11. perch — the fish
  12. plane — a tool
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. spring — of water
  16. rule — a law
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — a group
  19. kid — child
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. club — for dancing
  23. charge — in control
  24. rule — to rule out

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