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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. drill — army training
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. drill — a practice
  12. hand — in cards
  13. drill — the tool
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — help
  16. cell — in biology
  17. vault — a safe
  18. vault — an arched ceiling

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