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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. club — for golf
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to bend
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. file — a line of people
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a tool
  16. mine — for digging
  17. club — for dancing
  18. squash — the sport
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. club — a group
  22. vault — a safe
  23. squash — to crush
  24. sharp — clever

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