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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. pop — to visit
  3. vault — a safe
  4. pop — music
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. shower — rain
  10. shower — to wash
  11. deal — to handle
  12. pop — soda
  13. bore — to tire
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. foot — a measure
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bore — to drill
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. foot — part of the body

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