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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spell — a short time
  3. vault — a safe
  4. pop — music
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. tube — the underground
  7. shower — to wash
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. tube — a container
  12. court — of law
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. kick — in football
  15. shower — rain
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. court — for sport
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. court — of a king
  21. pop — to visit
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. spell — magic
  24. pop — soda

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