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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. shower — rain
  3. wake — a trail
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. ball — a dance
  6. sharp — clever
  7. chair — a leader
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. ball — a great time
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. shower — to wash
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. spring — the season
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. vault — a safe
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — of water

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