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

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. band — a ring
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bat — the animal
  9. game — a match
  10. vault — a safe
  11. wind — moving air
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. date — the fruit
  18. game — wild animals
  19. band — a music group
  20. ball — a dance
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. ball — a great time
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bowl — a dish

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