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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: content · mine · pop · bat · key · racket · shower · vault

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — to visit
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. shower — rain
  5. key — in music
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bat — the animal
  11. key — the most important part
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. key — for a lock
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. shower — to wash
  17. pop — music
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. content — happy
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. vault — a safe
  24. mine — for digging

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