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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 116 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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. bass — low music
  4. squash — to crush
  5. spring — of water
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. scale — size or range
  8. rest — what's left
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. mark — a trace
  16. vault — a safe
  17. squash — the sport
  18. rest — a break
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mark — a grade
  22. wind — moving air
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. scale — in music

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