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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. pop — to visit
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. can — to be able to
  7. shower — rain
  8. can — a tin
  9. vault — a safe
  10. ball — a dance
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. pop — soda
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. ball — a great time
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. pop — music
  20. shower — to wash
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. coach — a trainer

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