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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 is an ace ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. present — a gift
  4. pop — music
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. shower — to wash
  7. rush — hurry
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. shower — rain
  11. vault — a safe
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. snap — to click
  16. present — there
  17. wax — to grow
  18. pop — to visit
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. present — the time now
  24. pop — soda

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