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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. club — a group
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. rule — government
  7. staff — employees
  8. last — final
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rule — a law
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. last — to go on
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. last — finally
  15. file — a tool
  16. rush — hurry
  17. vault — a safe
  18. club — for dancing
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. pitch — completely
  21. club — for golf
  22. file — a line of people
  23. staff — a stick
  24. file — a document

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