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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 124 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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. pit — a hole
  3. mine — for digging
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. fall — the season
  8. club — a group
  9. club — for dancing
  10. ball — a great time
  11. vault — a safe
  12. pit — in a race
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. ground — a position
  17. rule — a law
  18. ground — the earth
  19. club — for golf
  20. ground — crushed
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. rule — government
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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