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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. wound — an injury
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. bound — obliged
  6. shower — rain
  7. kid — to tease
  8. club — a group
  9. club — for golf
  10. bound — tied together
  11. saw — the tool
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. vault — a safe
  14. club — for dancing
  15. shower — to wash
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. bound — certain
  23. saw — the tool
  24. wound — an injury

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