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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 124 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · fan · vault · rest · shower · toast · rule · pop

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wind — moving air
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. pop — soda
  5. wind — moving air
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. pop — music
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. shower — rain
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. toast — bread
  14. rule — government
  15. vault — a safe
  16. pop — to visit
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. rest — a break
  21. shower — to wash
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rule — a law

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