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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. vault — a safe
  5. scale — size or range
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — to drop
  8. content — happy
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. rock — a stone
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. content — the amount
  14. kid — to tease
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. kid — child
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. fall — the season
  20. scale — in music
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. fan — a supporter

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