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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. rest — what's left
  4. shower — rain
  5. rest — what's left
  6. pop — soda
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. fall — to drop
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. mate — a friend
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. fall — to drop
  15. vault — a safe
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. rest — a break
  18. pop — to visit
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. shower — to wash
  21. deal — to handle
  22. pop — music
  23. mate — to breed
  24. fall — the season

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