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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. spring — of water
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. drill — army training
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. shower — to wash
  8. vault — a safe
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. drill — the tool
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bass — the fish
  17. shower — rain
  18. drill — a practice
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — a coil
  24. bass — low music

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