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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. game — wild animals
  3. mug — a cup
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. game — a match
  6. mug — to rob
  7. spring — of water
  8. tube — the underground
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. tube — a container
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — a coil
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. vault — a safe
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. mug — a face
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

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