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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 120 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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pop — music
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. vault — a safe
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pop — to visit
  13. kick — in football
  14. shower — rain
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bulb — for light
  20. pop — soda
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bulb — for light
  23. shower — to wash
  24. safe — a strongbox

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