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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. present — a gift
  3. spring — the season
  4. shower — rain
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. spring — a coil
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. vault — a safe
  11. content — the amount
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. present — the time now
  14. shower — to wash
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — letters
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. content — happy
  21. spell — a short time
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. spring — of water
  24. present — there

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