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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — to visit
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. tear — from crying
  5. vault — a safe
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. ground — a position
  8. band — a ring
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — for catching
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. pop — soda
  13. ground — crushed
  14. shower — to wash
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. shower — rain
  17. tear — from crying
  18. ground — the earth
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. band — a music group
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. net — after costs
  23. tear — to rip
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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