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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. dip — to sink
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. swing — to play on
  6. swing — music
  7. cold — an illness
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. bore — to drill
  10. swing — in golf
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. shower — rain
  15. wind — moving air
  16. cold — not warm
  17. wind — moving air
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. vault — a safe
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bore — to tire
  24. shower — to wash

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