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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. file — a line of people
  3. club — for golf
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. fine — high quality
  6. deal — to handle
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. pop — soda
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. file — a document
  12. file — a tool
  13. season — of the year
  14. fine — all right
  15. pop — music
  16. pop — to visit
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. season — in sport
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. club — a group
  22. vault — a safe
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. trunk — of a car

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