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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. club — for dancing
  3. club — for golf
  4. present — there
  5. club — a group
  6. cue — for pool
  7. vault — a safe
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. present — the time now
  14. tube — the underground
  15. present — a gift
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. cue — a hint
  20. rock — a stone
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. tube — a container
  23. cue — a signal
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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