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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. wind — moving air
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. pass — a permit
  5. scale — in music
  6. wind — moving air
  7. mark — a grade
  8. ball — a great time
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. rash — a series
  13. scale — size or range
  14. ball — a dance
  15. mark — a trace
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. shower — to wash
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. vault — a safe
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. shower — rain

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