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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. shower — to wash
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. bear — the animal
  6. wound — an injury
  7. track — a song
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bear — the animal
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. shower — rain
  12. track — a path
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bore — to tire
  18. ball — a great time
  19. ball — a dance
  20. track — to keep track
  21. vault — a safe
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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