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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. mine — for digging
  4. club — for golf
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. present — there
  8. deal — to handle
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. game — wild animals
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. game — a match
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. present — a gift
  15. present — the time now
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. wake — a trail
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. vault — a safe
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. club — a group
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. club — for dancing

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