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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — for digging
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. club — for golf
  13. rock — a stone
  14. sharp — clever
  15. rock — music
  16. cell — a phone
  17. pop — music
  18. club — for dancing
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. club — a group
  22. cell — in biology
  23. pop — soda
  24. vault — a safe

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