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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 120 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. shower — rain
  4. vault — a safe
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — a series
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. spring — the season
  10. pop — to visit
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. spring — of water
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. pop — soda
  15. shower — to wash
  16. pop — music
  17. wind — moving air
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. spring — a coil
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rush — hurry
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. rush — a thrill

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