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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. fall — the season
  3. band — a ring
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. band — a music group
  6. pop — music
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. last — final
  9. last — to go on
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. capital — money
  14. bat — the animal
  15. capital — a city
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. rock — music
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. last — finally
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. pop — soda
  24. pop — to visit

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