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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. vault — a safe
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. deal — to handle
  6. rule — government
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. fine — high quality
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — for dancing
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. fine — all right
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. rule — a law
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. club — a group

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