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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 116 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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. shower — to wash
  6. pop — music
  7. shower — rain
  8. scale — size or range
  9. content — the amount
  10. object — a thing
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. pop — to visit
  13. scale — in music
  14. object — to protest
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. wind — moving air
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. content — happy
  20. pop — soda
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. scale — for weighing

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