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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. track — a path
  3. capital — money
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. shower — to wash
  6. capital — a city
  7. spring — of water
  8. present — the time now
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. track — a song
  11. present — a gift
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. spring — a coil
  15. vault — a safe
  16. spring — the season
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. shower — rain
  22. track — to keep track
  23. present — there
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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