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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. pitch — completely
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. kick — in football
  7. squash — to crush
  8. shower — rain
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — music
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. wound — an injury
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. fork — in a road
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. pop — soda
  20. squash — the sport
  21. wound — an injury
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. vault — a safe
  24. kick — a thrill

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