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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. club — a group
  4. content — happy
  5. row — to paddle
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a match
  9. land — ground
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bound — tied together
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. land — to come down
  14. vault — a safe
  15. row — a line
  16. club — for golf
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bound — certain
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. bound — obliged
  22. content — the amount
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. land — a country

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