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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. shower — to wash
  5. pop — music
  6. bear — the animal
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bear — the animal
  9. land — to come down
  10. shower — rain
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. fork — in a road
  15. vault — a safe
  16. plane — a tool
  17. land — ground
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. pop — to visit
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. land — a country
  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