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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. last — to go on
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. band — a ring
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. rush — hurry
  9. lean — to bend
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mate — a friend
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. lean — thin
  16. fall — the season
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. last — finally
  19. fall — to drop
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — to wash
  22. last — final
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. fall — to drop

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