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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 116 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. club — for dancing
  3. object — an aim
  4. spring — of water
  5. present — a gift
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. spring — a coil
  9. mate — a partner
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — to paddle
  13. mate — a friend
  14. club — for golf
  15. present — the time now
  16. saw — the tool
  17. vault — a safe
  18. mate — to breed
  19. object — a thing
  20. row — a line
  21. club — a group
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. present — there
  24. spring — the season

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