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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. net — in sport
  3. club — for golf
  4. mug — to rob
  5. vault — a safe
  6. rock — music
  7. club — for dancing
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. rock — a stone
  12. season — in sport
  13. mug — a cup
  14. season — of the year
  15. net — for catching
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. mug — a face
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. deal — to handle
  22. net — after costs
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. rock — to move gently

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