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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 116 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're almost out of ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. shower — to wash
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. shower — rain
  5. pop — to visit
  6. net — for catching
  7. pop — music
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. court — of a king
  10. vault — a safe
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. court — for sport
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. game — a match
  17. stem — to come from
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. game — wild animals
  21. net — in sport
  22. court — of law
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. net — after costs

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