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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. fall — the season
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. content — the amount
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. content — happy
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. fall — to drop
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — a subject
  12. fall — to drop
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. press — newspapers
  15. field — for sport
  16. press — to push
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. press — a publisher
  19. club — a group
  20. dip — to sink
  21. vault — a safe
  22. club — for golf
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. dip — to dunk

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