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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. club — for dancing
  4. cold — an illness
  5. object — an aim
  6. charge — electricity
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. charge — a price
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. club — a group
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. club — for golf
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — clever
  17. vault — a safe
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. object — to protest
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. pass — a permit
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. cold — not warm
  24. charge — in control

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