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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. vault — a safe
  6. bass — low music
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. mark — a grade
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. spring — a coil
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. spring — of water
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. hand — help
  19. spring — the season
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. mark — a trace
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bass — the fish

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