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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. club — for dancing
  3. march — the month
  4. drill — the tool
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. march — the month
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. cap — of ice
  9. march — music
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. club — for golf
  13. drill — a practice
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. cap — a lid
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. cap — a hat
  19. deal — to handle
  20. vault — a safe
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. drill — army training
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wake — a trail

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