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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. bass — low music
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. bass — the fish
  5. chip — for betting
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cold — an illness
  8. court — of a king
  9. cold — not warm
  10. chip — to eat
  11. shower — to wash
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. court — of law
  15. court — for sport
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. vault — a safe
  23. shower — rain
  24. bass — the instrument

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