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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. pop — music
  3. band — a ring
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. band — a music group
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. pop — soda
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. kid — child
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. pop — to visit
  19. hand — help
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. hand — in cards
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. vault — a safe
  24. hand — part of the body

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