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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  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 — music
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. race — a contest
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. vault — a safe
  7. fine — all right
  8. bore — to drill
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. bore — to tire
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. fine — high quality
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — in sport
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. foot — a measure
  18. race — the arms race
  19. pop — to visit
  20. scale — size or range
  21. scale — in music
  22. race — humankind
  23. pop — soda
  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