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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. row — to paddle
  3. shower — to wash
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. shower — rain
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. capital — a city
  13. vault — a safe
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. band — a ring
  18. row — a line
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. band — a music group
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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