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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. shower — rain
  3. cue — a hint
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. charge — in control
  7. bat — the animal
  8. cue — for pool
  9. charge — a price
  10. cue — a signal
  11. net — for catching
  12. charge — electricity
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. shower — to wash
  15. band — a ring
  16. net — after costs
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. ball — a dance
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. ball — a great time
  23. net — in sport
  24. vault — a safe

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