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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. vault — a safe
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. wound — an injury
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. shower — rain
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. pop — to visit
  16. scale — size or range
  17. shower — to wash
  18. scale — in music
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. pop — soda
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. wound — an injury
  24. scale — for weighing

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