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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a dance
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. shower — to wash
  7. fall — the season
  8. vault — a safe
  9. board — a committee
  10. fall — to drop
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. root — of a plant
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. fine — high quality
  15. root — of a word
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. dip — to sink
  18. shower — rain
  19. root — the cause
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fine — all right
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. board — to get on

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