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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. chest — a box
  4. shower — rain
  5. perch — the fish
  6. vault — a safe
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cell — a phone
  9. pop — music
  10. pop — soda
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. land — ground
  14. chest — of your body
  15. shower — to wash
  16. fine — high quality
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — a country
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pop — to visit
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. chest — of your body
  23. fine — all right
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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