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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. club — for golf
  4. lean — to bend
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. club — for dancing
  8. sharp — clever
  9. current — electric
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. vault — a safe
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. hand — help
  15. club — a group
  16. current — happening now
  17. lean — thin
  18. hand — in cards
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. current — of water
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. deal — to handle
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. deal — an agreement

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