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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. rash — hasty
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. vault — a safe
  5. cold — not warm
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. fork — in a road
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — a series

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