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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. bear — the animal
  3. fall — the season
  4. hand — help
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. shower — rain
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. shower — to wash
  9. hand — in cards
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. fall — to drop
  13. vault — a safe
  14. bear — the animal
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bear — to put up with

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