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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  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. wind — moving air
  2. band — a ring
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — a practice
  6. lean — to bend
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. land — a country
  9. cue — for pool
  10. wind — moving air
  11. land — to come down
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. vault — a safe
  14. rush — hurry
  15. drill — army training
  16. band — a music group
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cue — a signal
  19. land — ground
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. lean — thin
  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