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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bass — the fish
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. rock — music
  10. bat — the animal
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. shower — to wash
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. rock — a stone
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. shower — rain
  19. vault — a safe
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. mine — for digging
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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