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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. club — for golf
  3. vault — a safe
  4. rock — a stone
  5. present — a gift
  6. board — to get on
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. rock — music
  10. dip — to sink
  11. track — a song
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — not warm
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. present — the time now
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. club — a group
  19. present — there
  20. track — a path
  21. board — a committee
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. track — to keep track

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