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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. club — a group
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. net — for catching
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. club — for golf
  10. scale — in music
  11. scale — size or range
  12. net — after costs
  13. shower — rain
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. club — for dancing
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. net — in sport
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. vault — a safe

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