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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 took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. chest — a box
  3. wind — moving air
  4. vault — a safe
  5. fall — to drop
  6. land — to come down
  7. shower — to wash
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. chest — of your body
  10. pass — a permit
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. chest — of your body
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. land — ground
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. land — a country
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — the season
  24. bowl — a football final

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