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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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Word bank
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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. band — a ring
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. band — a music group
  8. bear — the animal
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. vault — a safe
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. last — final
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. last — to go on
  20. kick — in football
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. last — finally
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. bear — the animal

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