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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. pit — in a race
  3. club — for golf
  4. lean — to bend
  5. mate — a friend
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. ground — the earth
  9. lean — thin
  10. vault — a safe
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — crushed
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. club — a group
  16. club — for dancing
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. tube — a container
  20. mate — to breed
  21. tube — the underground
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. chair — a leader
  24. pit — a hole

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