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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. can — to be able to
  3. chest — of your body
  4. pop — soda
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. pop — to visit
  8. chest — of your body
  9. craft — boats
  10. vault — a safe
  11. shower — rain
  12. chest — a box
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. scale — in music
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. can — a tin
  18. pop — music
  19. craft — a skill
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. can — a tin
  24. shower — to wash

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