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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 120 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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. cell — a phone
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. fine — high quality
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. wind — moving air
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. fine — all right
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. cell — in biology
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. vault — a safe
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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