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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. wind — moving air
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. rock — a stone
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — final
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. vault — a safe
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. last — finally
  16. prune — to trim
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. kid — child
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. kid — to tease
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. bowl — to roll

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