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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. vault — a safe
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wind — moving air
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. cell — in biology
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. shower — to wash
  11. mate — a partner
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. fine — high quality
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bat — the animal
  16. cell — a phone
  17. mate — to breed
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. fine — all right
  21. mate — a friend
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. fine — a penalty

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