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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. pop — music
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. scale — in music
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. pop — to visit
  15. wind — moving air
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. vault — a safe
  20. scale — size or range
  21. wind — moving air
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. scale — for weighing

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