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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kid · march · club · lie · stick · vault · charge · sharp

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. sharp — clever
  3. club — for golf
  4. club — for dancing
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. march — the month
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. kid — to tease
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. charge — electricity
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — to recline
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. march — music
  17. charge — a price
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. vault — a safe
  20. charge — in control
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. club — a group
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. kid — child

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