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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. vault — a safe
  4. cap — of ice
  5. net — after costs
  6. rash — hasty
  7. land — to come down
  8. net — for catching
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. cap — a lid
  11. land — ground
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. shower — rain
  15. land — a country
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. rush — hurry
  18. cap — a hat
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. net — in sport
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. shower — to wash

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