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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. spell — letters
  4. rock — music
  5. spell — a short time
  6. rash — a series
  7. last — finally
  8. last — to go on
  9. bass — the fish
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bass — low music
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. last — final
  14. rock — a stone
  15. spell — magic
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. prune — to trim
  18. vault — a safe
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. prune — to trim
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — to wash
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bass — the instrument

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