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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. vault — a safe
  3. craft — boats
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. mine — for digging
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. stem — to come from
  19. craft — a skill
  20. chair — a leader
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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