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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. saw — the tool
  4. shower — to wash
  5. saw — the tool
  6. cap — a hat
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rock — music
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — to visit
  11. cap — a lid
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. cap — of ice
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — to tease
  17. vault — a safe
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. pop — music
  21. bear — the animal
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. shower — rain

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