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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. charge — electricity
  3. vault — a safe
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. swing — music
  7. shower — rain
  8. swing — in golf
  9. wind — moving air
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. drill — army training
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. charge — in control
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. drill — the tool
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wake — a trail
  19. charge — a price
  20. kid — child
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. drill — a practice
  23. swing — to play on
  24. shower — to wash

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