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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. rush — hurry
  5. pop — to visit
  6. season — of the year
  7. shower — to wash
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. season — in sport
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. pop — music
  15. vault — a safe
  16. plane — a tool
  17. suit — in cards
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. shower — rain
  20. suit — to fit
  21. suit — clothes
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. pop — soda
  24. rush — a thrill

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