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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  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. cue — a hint
  2. spring — a coil
  3. club — a group
  4. swing — in golf
  5. race — the arms race
  6. vault — a safe
  7. cue — for pool
  8. chest — a box
  9. stock — shares
  10. race — a contest
  11. spring — the season
  12. club — for golf
  13. chest — of your body
  14. cue — a signal
  15. swing — to play on
  16. stock — goods
  17. race — humankind
  18. club — for dancing
  19. swing — music
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. spring — of water
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. chest — of your body
  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