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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wind — moving air
  4. scale — size or range
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. rest — a break
  8. pop — soda
  9. bore — to drill
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. pop — to visit
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. pop — music
  17. wind — moving air
  18. scale — in music
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. vault — a safe
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bore — to tire

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